Buddy Dyer's salary would jump from $160,892 to $195,500
Photo for Headline Surfer / Mayor Buddy Davenport is in line to receive a $34,608 raise in the new fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1 as reported first by the Orlansdo Sentinel. Here is a link to the Sentinel's story http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2013-09-17/news/os-orlando-mayor-council-raises-20130917_1_commissioners-orlando-mayor-buddy-dyer-pay-increase. And here is Headline Surfer's story: ORLANDO -- Mayor Buddy Dyer and his elected colleagues on the City Council are planning to give themselves whopping 21 percent pay raises.
Dyer's salary would jump from $160,892 a year would climb to $195,500. That's a one-year increase in pay of $34,608. And Orlando City Council members would see their salaries rise from $49,393 to $60,000. That is is a one-year increase of $10,607 for each of them.
To lessen the bite among the have-nots at Orlando City Hall,token raises are being thrown in as well for the rank and file. As reported by the Sentinel, the City Council on Monday also approved a new labor contract for the cops that gives them 2 percent raises during each of the next three fiscal years, beginning with fiscal 2013-'14, which begins Oct. 1.
And likewise, per city policy, those 2 percent raises will be extended to other municipal employees, too.
Giving 2 percent raises to rank-and-file cops who put their lives on the line every day is one things, but double-digit raises for an already well-paid politician like Dyer making a six-figure salary to begin with?
Giving 2 percent raises to rank-and-file cops who put their lives on the line every day is one things, but double-digit raises for an already well-paid politician like Dyer making a six-figure salary to begin with?
The Sentinel reported Dyer justified the pay hikes in an interview, saying city budget analysts compared Orlando's pay to those of county commissioners around Florida, where salaries are set by a state formula based on population and the pay raises are within range, even if he is now the highest paid. Dyer pointed out that the state doesn't set salaries for elected officials at the city level.
"We do market studies for the salaries of all our employees, and there hadn't been an adjustment for city commissioners or mine in a while, so we thought that was the most appropriate way to look at it," Dyer told the Sentinel.
Dyer further justified his own raise, telling the Sentinel: "Not all mayors have the same responsibilities. There's the ribbon-cutting mayor versus the CEO-type, so it's not always easy to judge strictly by that formula," Dyer said.
Mayor Dyer added in the Sentinel interview, "I would probably do this job if I wasn't paid at all. So I can't say it's market demand, but it's appropriate."
Mayor Dyer added in the Sentinel interview, "I would probably do this job if I wasn't paid at all. So I can't say it's market demand, but it's appropriate."
The Sentinel looked at what other cities similar in size pay their mayors and Dyer's raise squarely puts him atop the listings. For example, Mayor Bob Buckhorn in Tampa, which, like Orlando, has a strong mayor form of government, is paid $149,999.
A decade ago, the Orlando mayor's salary was $138,746 and commissioners were paid $37,031. But an aide to Dyer told the Sentinel Orlando's population grew by 20 percent over the past decade, to an estimated 245,402 people. And that means more constituents to answer to, the aide said.
Commissioners Tony Ortiz and Robert Stuart voted against the raises, but bneither they nor Commissioners Jim Gray, Patty Sheehan, Daisy Lynum, Samuel Ings nor Dyer commented prior to Monday's vote. A final votew will be taken next week.
INTERACTIVE: Contact them directly
You can contact the Orlando officials directly and have them explain their justification of the raises directly to you. Mayor Buddy Dyer can be reached at 407-246.-221. You can also email him at buddy.dyer@cityoforlando.net.FAST FACTS: Salary Comparisons
Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs, shown here, makes far less than Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, even before his expected 21% pay hike.Did You Know?
If Buddy Dyer were a beer brand, he might be called the 'Dean of Beers.'