Eagle Pass City Council Seek Salaries Not to Exceed 60% of City Manager’s Salary for Mayor and Not to Exceed 40% for Council Members

By: Miguel Munoz, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2018

The City of Eagle Pass, Texas City Council approved to hold a special City Election on Saturday, May 5, 2018 for the approval or disapproval of six proposed City Charter Amendments at their special meeting held on Monday, February 12, 2018, including one proposed City Charter Amendment that will pay the Mayor a salary not to exceed 60% of the City Manager’s salary and not to exceed 40% of the City Manager’s salary to City Council members.

According to a recent advertisement for the vacant City Manager position in the City of Eagle Pass Website, the City Manager’s salary is between $110,000 and $140,000 per year plus benefits for the person selected by the City Council to be the next City Manager.

Thus, the proposed City Charter Amendment that will pay the Eagle Pass Mayor a salary not to exceed 60% of the City Manager’s salary means that if the City Charter Amendment is approved, then the Eagle Pass Mayor will start receiving a potential salary between $66,000 per year to $84,000 per year.  Currently, the Eagle Pass Mayor receives a salary of $10 per month, or, $120 per year salary.  The difference between the current Mayor’s $120 per year salary to the proposed salary not to exceed 60% of the City Manager’s salary is significant and astronomical between $65,880 to $83,880 per year.

According to the proposed City Charter Amendment, City Council members salary would be raised from the current $10 per month, or $120 per year, to a salary not to exceed 40% of the City Manager’s salary-that is, $44,000 per year to $56,000 per year.  The difference between the current City Council members’ salary of $120 per year to the proposed salary not to exceed 40% of the City Manager’s salary is between $43,880 to $55,880 per year.

Currently, the Eagle Pass City Council is composed of the Mayor and four City Council members.  When the City of Eagle Pass’ population exceeds 30,000 people at a decennial United States Census, the City Council will add two more City Council positions, increasing it to six Council members plus the Mayor.  More than likely this increase may happen with the 2020 U.S. Census.

If the proposed City Charter Amendment is approved at the May 5, 2018 Special Election, the potential cost of the salary increase to the Eagle Pass City Council may cost City Taxpayers between $241,400 to $307,400 per year for a City Council composed of four Council members and one Mayor.  When the City Council is increased to six Council members and one Mayor, the potential cost of the salary increase to the Eagle Pass City Council may cost City Taxpayers between $329,160 to $419,160 per year.  What is not known nor mentioned in the proposed City Charter Amendment is if whether benefits will also be paid to the City Council members and the Mayor on the proposed salary increase. If so, this will add more cost to the proposed salary increase being proposed for the City Council and Mayor in the proposed City Charter Amendment.

Although the Eagle Pass City Council and Mayor Ramsey English Cantu stated that the reasons for increasing the City Council salaries are to compensate Council members for the long hours dedicated to serving as public servants, to encourage future professional and quality citizens who may want to serve on the City Council to seek running for and serving on the City Council, and most cities around Eagle Pass are paying salaries to their City Council and Mayor, the overwhelming majority of Eagle Pass Taxpayers that spoke to the Eagle Pass Business Journal appear to be in opposition to this proposed City Charter Amendment that will significantly increase the salaries of the City Council and Mayor, as well as all of the other five proposed City Charter Amendments.

At the February 12th Special Meeting, the Eagle Pass City Council approved to move forward to holding the City Charter Amendments Election  on Saturday, May 5, 2018 for the City Taxpayers to approve or disapprove the proposed City Charter Amendments, including the salary increase to the City Council and Mayor.

The dilemma about City Charter Elections is that very few City Taxpayers actually go to vote.  A low voter turnout bids bad for disapproving the proposed City Charter Amendment while it favors the approval of the proposed City Charter Amendments.  Eagle Pass Taxpayers will decide on Saturday, May 5th, whether the proposed six City Charter Amendments, including the salary increase to the Mayor and City Council, are approved or disapproved.

The current Eagle Pass City Council is composed of Mayor Ramsey English Cantu and Council members Yolanda P. Ramon, Rudy Villalpando, Luis E. Sifuentes, and William “Billy” Davis.

Published on: Feb 14, 2018