By Elise Shuey
The College Park City Council discussed the benefits of a proposed $10,000 salary increase for council members at a meeting on Sept. 16. Speakers shared both personal and professional reasons to the community in an effort to gain support for the raise.
“There’s a lot that we do that doesn’t get mentioned or recognized,” College Park Councilmember Alan Hew said at the meeting. “[The raise] actually shows some appreciation for what we do – some acknowledgment of where we’re going.”
The proposal followed the College Park Compensation Review Committee’s research on council members’ current salaries in surrounding communities, including Hyattsville, Greenbelt and Bowie.
Teresa Way-Pezzuti, College Park’s director of human resources, announced on Sept. 9 that their research showed College Park to be one of the lesser-paid municipalities in Maryland.
The proposal states that each council member and the mayor would receive a $10,000 pay increase, making the mayor’s salary $25,000, the mayor pro tempore’s $22,500 and each council member’s $20,000, according to city documents. The pay hike would cost the city $90,000.
The city’s budget is approximately $30 million each year, according to College Park’s Communication and Events Coordinator Ryna Luckert Quiñones. About 75% of the funds come from taxes and government funding.
The U.S. government shutdown has not impacted College Park’s finances at this time, Quiñones said.
Since the announcement of this ordinance, several council members have shared their support for the raise.
“Everyone that works on this committee works incredibly hard for the residents that we care for,” Councilmember Jacob T. Hernandez said. “That responsibility, though awesome, can be taxing on a lot of individuals.”
Other council members echoed Hernandez’s remarks at the meeting by sharing the stress they often feel in this role.
“I’ll admit I’m feeling sometimes rather overwhelmed – and [think] why am I doing this all?” Hew said.
Council members also pointed out the potential long-term benefits of a salary hike, highlighting that it may attract a larger number of qualified candidates for the upcoming elections on Nov. 4.
“If the pay was $1 million a year, more people would probably run for office than if the pay was $0 per year,” Councilmember Ray Ranker said.
Way-Pezzuti confirmed that attracting future candidates was part of their motive when looking into a salary increase.
Although College Park leadership supported the pay hike, one individual who attended the Sept. 16 meeting felt differently.
“You took out of people’s pockets $90,000 to pay yourselves, for a job that you should love,” Oscar Gregory, a past resident who commutes to College Park for work, said. “I would love to be in your spot, and for free!”
There were no comments from constituents during the public hearing for the ordinance on Oct. 7. If approved, the salary raise would go into effect on Jan. 1 of 2026.
Featured Image: College Park City Hall before the Sept. 16 council meeting began. Photo by Elise Shuey.