INDIANAPOLIS -- Not every member on Indianapolis' City-County Council is in favor of getting a pay raise.
According to a release from the Marion County Republican Central Committee, the Republicans on the council are planning to oppose a pay increase for the council members.
The proposal was sponsored by Zach Adamson and Monroe Gray Jr., both Democrats.
"I want to ensure that service on the council is a possibility for citizens from all walks of life," councilor Jeff Miller said in the release. "But there is no money for this in the budget."
The proposal would increase the councilors' salaries from $11,400 to $25,000.
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Right now, councilors receive pay equal to 12 percent of the mayor's salary, which is $95,000.
Councilors also receive a bonus of $112 per regular council meeting attended, for a maximum of 21 meetings in a year, for a possible bonus of $2,352.
Of the 25 members of the City-County Council, 13 are Democrats and 12 are Republicans.
The release states the proposal would increase the salaries by 119 percent, a note Adamson takes some issue with.
"119 percent may be accurate, but it is misleading," he said.
He compared it to saying 500 percent of one dollar, which would be five dollars.
He said it's trying to politicize something that isn't political.
"Our salaries, with the increase, still puts us below average of similar-sized cities," he said.
Republican councilor Marilyn Pfisterer will be opposing the proposal.
"It's not in next year's budget," she said. "It's an extremely bad idea, particularly right now. For me, being an elected official is not about being paid, its about service to the community."
Adamson believes the money is there for such a pay increase.
“We spend considerable amounts of money that are well beyond this,” he said. “If I didn’t think we have it, I wouldn’t suggest we do this.”
