VISTA : City Council OKs Raises for Members

Over the protests of Councilwoman Nancy Wade and a lone resident, the City Council raised its monthly pay Tuesday from $1,102 to $1,200.

Under state law, the salary hike will not take effect until December, after council members begin new terms of office. Tuesday’s 4-1 vote also provides for an additional $30-a-month cost-of-living increase, effective at the end of 1993.

Council members also receive a monthly mileage stipend of $250.

Wade, who is retiring from the council this year, has repeatedly criticized the pay raise in recent weeks. Budget cutbacks have forced other city departments to tighten their belts, she said, and the council should follow suit.

But Mayor Gloria McClellan and Councilwoman Jeanette Smith defended the increase as the only way to attract “qualified people” to run for council seats.

Just one resident showed up to protest the pay raise, in contrast to the six who angrily denounced it at a council session two weeks ago.

The new salaries are the highest allowed under state law for cities with populations between 75,000 and 150,000. Other area cities in that category include Oceanside, where council members receive $1,939 a month; Escondido, $1,089 a month, and Chula Vista, $1,476, according to a Vista city report.