A bigger payday could be in store for Atlanta’s mayor, city council and school board

ATLANTA – Payday could soon be a lot nicer for Atlanta’s mayor, council members and school board members.

The city’s Elected Officials’ Compensation Commission made recommendations that included increases from 30 to more than 100 percent.

These are jaw-dropping salary increases, but the commission chairman says his group assumes that anyone running for City Council should be able to afford housing in the city.

“We also looked at housing trends in Atlanta and we have some recommendations for all of you,” attorney Quinton Washington said during a meeting Monday.

Washington says he believes a city council or school board member should be able to live the American dream in the city they serve.

Washington says that means salaries for council members, school board members and even the mayor should increase.

“The average home price in Atlanta is about $400,000,” Washington said.

Here are the numbers:

The mayor’s salary would increase from $202,730 to $271,000. The council president’s salary would increase from $72,400 to $132,500. Board members would increase from $72,360 to $127,500, and school board members would increase from $30,000 to $70,000, representing a 133 percent increase.

“We want stability within the school board and with what is required of the school board members, what they were doing and what they were expected to do as we believe, causing instability within the school board. These are our children,” Washington said. explain.

Washington says the commission’s recommendations were compared to those of comparable cities like New York, Cincinnati and Charlotte.

He believes there would be more qualified candidates for these soon-to-be full-time positions.

“It’s a value in the city of Atlanta to allow government to be open to everyone. It removes barriers to entry for some people who want to run, but some people can’t because that they don’t have enough money on the salary, if they had the opportunity to make a living from their situation. We want this to be open to single parents, mothers or fathers,” Washington said.

The Council will debate and vote on these salary increases in January.