KILLEEN, Texas — The Killeen City Council is proposing a new pay raise for its members.
In Tuesday's City Council meeting, members asked for $150 dollars more each month.
“Currently with the way that all the rates are going up gas prices going up, that $100 doesn’t even fill gas tanks for us for half a month, or to get to meetings," City Council member Melissa Brown said.
She added council members have not received a pay raise in years.
Members in the community have varying opinions on the proposed pay raise.
“They ask for a 1000 percent pay raise over what they were getting before… and I don’t think they’re doing a 1000 times that more work," said James Ralston, a Killeen resident.
“Look they are working hard," Killeen resident Bear Jones said. "They volunteer too, claim to be. Like everything else in life somebody has to get something… you have gas, food to pay for."
Patrick Flavin, political science professor at Baylor University, explained what typically happens among city council members and shared a political science perspective.
“Paying people so little to do a job can do is It maybe shuts out qualified candidates,” Flavin said. “Some places city council members get nothing at all. Killeen gives a small amount per month that can help with expenses one occurs doing the job.”
Whether or not city council members will receive this pay raise will be left up to the results of a charter election held on May 7.
