Salary in Question as PS Moves to Rotate Mayors

PALM SPRINGS –The mayor’s salary is likely to surface as one of the issues as Palm Springs sets the stage for a rotating mayor and district-based elections this year.

Will a rotating mayor earn the same salary as a directly elected mayor? Or, will all members of the City Council be paid equally? Time will tell.

“We will be considering issues relating to selection of mayor, salaries, staffing, election date and other matters related to our elections and Council over the next few months,” Mayor Pro Tem Geoff Kors told Uken Report. “These will all be discussed by the entire Council at a public meeting.”

Mayor Robert Moon is travelling outside the United States with little access to e-mail and could not immediately be reached for comment.

The mayor of Palm Springs currently earns $43,800 annually, according to Communications Director Amy Blaisdell. The salary for Councilmembers is currently $2,433 per month.

The mayoral position would begin to rotate after the after the 2019 election, when the City Council will determine which Councilmember will be appointed first, Blaisdell said.

“At this point, the salaries will remain the same,” Blaisdell told Uken Report. “However, if Council chooses to increase the salary for future members that will be a separate decision in the future.”

The communities of Indio and Cathedral City moved to district-based elections in November 2018. Members of the City Council, including the rotating mayor, in both cities all receive the same salary, according the city clerks.

Indio City Councilmembers each receive a monthly compensation of $1,058.88, equally, said City Clerk Administrator Sabdi Sanchez. “Rotating Mayor does not affect their salary.”

Pursuant to Cathedral City Municipal Code, Councilmembers receive the same compensation regardless of the District they are in or if they are the Mayor, said City Clerk Tracey Martinez.

As of Dec. 21, 2014, members of the Cathedral City City Council receive a monthly compensation of $1,168.79.

In Rancho Mirage, Councilmember compensation is $2,593 per month, according to City Clerk Kristie Ramos. The rotating Mayor receives an additional $250 per month.