The last increase in salary for the mayor's position was $10,000 in 2007.
WESTFIELD — The City Council is expected to launch a salary review of elected city officials when it meets Thursday night in regular session.
The request was initiated by council President Christopher Keefe and represents the first comprehensive review of salaries in many years for the mayor, City Council, School Committee.
Christopher Keefe“It is important to review the salary structure for elected positions periodically and although no one's is comfortable with the process, it must be done,” Keefe said. “It is important to attract and retain qualified people,” he said of the request.
He noted that salaries for several Westfield department heads, mainly police, fire and School Department and several administrative personnel, range from about $125,000 to $142,000.
The last salary increase, $10,000 the for mayor, was in January 2007.
The request will be presented to the full City Council Thursday and is expected to be referred to its Legislative and Ordinance Committee for review and recommendations. That is the suggestion from Keefe.
“There is no time table. The committee will study the issue and take as long as it needs,” the president said.
Keefe is also proposing that any salary adjustment be made in the form of an ordinance because he and other city officials were unable to “find the process or mechanism used for the last salary adjustment,” he said.
Currently, Mayor Daniel M. Knapik earns $90,000 in salary while each of the 13 members of the City Council receive $10,000 annually. Five School Committee members each receive $5,000 annually, as do the six members of the Municipal Light Board.
“I understand why,” said School Committee Vice Chairman Kevin J. Sullivan of the requested study. “It has been a decade or more since these salaries were adjusted.
“But, I personally do not want, nor am I looking for, an increase. We remain in tough fiscal times and we haven’t been giving out too many raises lately,” Sullivan said.
Mayor Daniel M. Knapik could not be reached for comment.
Springfield Domenic J. Sarno receives an annual salary of $95,000 and that salary has remained constant for several years. A 2011 report calling for the Springfield salary to be set at $110,000 was rejected.
Mayoral salaries in Chicopee, Holyoke, West Springfield and Agawam are set at $85,000, The salary in Northampton is $80,000 and $70,000 in Easthampton.
MassLive.com earlier this year posted Westfield’s municipal workers payroll listing showing that more than 20 city employees earned more than the mayor in 2011. Some of the top wage earners on that list included several public safety workers who also earn off-duty incentives.