HomeMy WebLinkAboutordinance.council.001-01 ORDINANCE NO. 1
(Series of 2001)
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ASPEN, COLORADO,
INCREASING THE COMPENSATION FOR THE OFFICES OF MAYOR AND CITY
COUNCILPERSON.
WHEREAS, Section 3.6 of the Home Rule Charter for the City of Aspen provides that
members of the City Council and Mayor shall receive such compensation as the Council shall
prescribe by ordinance; and
WHEREAS, the current levels of compensation for the Mayor ($1,725.00 per month) and
members of City Council ($1,200.00 per month) were established in March. 1996. and have not
been adjusted since that time: and
WHEREAS, the City Council desires to provide a reasonable and equitable increase in
the levels of compensation provided to the Mayor and members of the City Council so as to
reflect not only the increase in the cost of living since 1996, but the increase in the commitment
of time necessarily required tc fulfill the duties of such elective offices; and
WHEREAS, the City Council f'mds that the current compensation for the Mayor and
members of Council even after being adjusted for increases in the CPI are not sufficient to
encourage persons from all economic backgrounds to participate in public service; and
WHEREAS, increasing the compensation of the Mayor and members of Council may
provide one incentive for citizens with modest financial incomes to consider public service; and
WHEREAS, the City Council desires to proclaim and establish a custom and policy of
evaluating and adjusting the compensation levels for the Mayor and council members more
frequently than it has in the past.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF ASPEN, COLORADO, THAT:
Section 1.
The monthly compensation for the office of Mayor shall be increased from $1,725.00 per
month to $2,325.00 per month; the monthly compensation for City Council members shall be
increased from $1,200.00 per month to $1,700.00 per month. In addition, compensation for the
office of Mayor and for City Council members shall be increased by an amount sufficient to
allow those officeholders to participate in health insurance benefits as follows. The Mayor and
each member of Council shall be entitled to receive a stipend in addition to their monthly
compensation equal to the cost of health insurance benefits authorized for regular full time City
employees; provided, however, that the stipend is actually used to purchase health insurance
through the City or a third party insurer and that the stipend does not exceed the cost of health
insurance premiums for a single person. All increases in compensation as set forth herein shall
become effective upon the first regular City Council meeting in June 2001. In accordance with
Section 3.6 of the Home Rule Charter, no current member of the City Council, including the
Mayor, shall be entitled to receive such compensation increase until their present term of office
has expired and they have been duly elected or appointed to a new term.
Section 2.
If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase or portion of this ordinance is for any
reason held invalid or unconstitutional in a court of competent jurisdiction, such portion shall be
deemed a separate, distinct and independent provision and shall not affect the validity of the
remaining portions thereof.
2
Section 3.
This ordinance shall not have anY effect on existing litigation and shall not operate as an
abatement of any action or proceeding now pending under or by virtue of the ordinances
amended as herein provided, and the same shall be construed and concluded under such prior
ordinances.
A public hearing on the ordinance shall be held on the )~ day of~, 2001,
in the City Council Chambers, Aspen City Hall, Aspen, Colorado.
INTRODUCED, READ AND ORDERED PUBLISHED as provided by law by the City
Council of the City of Aspen on the 22nd day of January 2001.
ATTEST: _
Katfirya S'-Y~h; City Clerk
FINALLY adopted, passed and approved this 12th day
ATTEST: --' - ~ . .~...,.
Kathryn S. K~l~;C~ty (~lerk
JPW-02/13/01-G:\]ohn\word\ords\SALARIES.doc