Here's some interesting math: Wauwatosa Common Council members are poised to get 33% raises in 2026, and it won't add one more cent to the city's budget.
City leaders aren't playing with magic numbers. The explanation lies in the council restructuring that was approved by Tosa voters in 2022. Under that plan, the council is set to shrink from 16 members to 12 after local elections in April 2026. If the budget for council's pay stays the same, that money will be divided among fewer members, effectively meaning a pay raise.
That said, the Common Council still needs to approve the higher pay rate. The topic was discussed Oct. 21 at a meeting of the council's Government Affairs Committee, and those members were in agreement that it made sense to raise council pay from the current $5,400 a year to $7,200 once fewer members will be collecting that pay.
"That makes the math easy," Sean Rowe from District 5 said. Amanda Fuerst of District 7 added that she thought this issue had already been decided in the 2022 referendum. They and other committee members said they were not interested in raising council pay any higher at this time despite city research showing their pay historically has not kept up with inflation.
The measure now goes to full Common Council for adoption on Oct. 28.
City Administrator James Archambo, in presenting information about elected officials' pay, reminding the public, "no elected body in Wisconsin can vote itself a raise.” That is because all pay increases take effect at the start of the next elected terms, not the current ones.
Council members serve four-year terms, however, the current body was elected in April 2024 for shortened two-year terms as the city transitions to the new 12-member structure, as approved in the 2022 referendum.
Starting in April 2026, voters will elect one candidate in each of 12 distinct geographic districts, rather than two from eight districts. Half of those elected officials (in the even-numbered districts) will serve four-year terms. The other half (in the odd-numbered districts) will serve shortened two-year terms, and their seats will be up for election again in 2028, establishing the council’s new staggered four-year terms.
The mayor also serves as a member of the council but is elected by the entire city. The mayor's salary has only changed once in the past 40 years, when it was increased from $24,000 to $30,000 in 2012.
The Government Affairs Committee declined to advance a measure increasing that salary again.
“I’m not there yet on the notion of adjusting the mayor’s pay," James Moldenhauer of District 1 said.
Others suggested they thought the mayor's position merited more compensation but didn't think the time is right to take up that issue.
"It’s so little [pay]," Fuerst said. “That is such a huge job, and I appreciate everyone who does it."
Margaret Arney, too, said she doesn't think the city is compensating the mayor fairly. “If I had my way we’d fund the mayor like a real job," said Arney, District 2. "I don’t think it’s sustainable to keep it so low.”
Yet they agreed with Moldenhauer that it was an issue best left "for the future council to take up.”
