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Bill to end automatic pay raises for city council members hits hurdle

Councilman Rory Diamond says he’s battling ‘swamp creatures’ ahead of next week’s full council vote

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A bill that would get rid of built-in pay raises for Jacksonville City Council members hit a hurdle in committee Tuesday with an amendment that Councilman Rory Diamond called an attempt to “gut” the legislation.

Diamond, who introduced the bill earlier this year, wants to require council members to pass standalone legislation to increase their salaries each year.

“We did great on Monday and then the swamp creatures were fighting back yesterday,” Diamond said during an interview Wednesday on The Morning Show. “But we can still pass the original bill, stop automatic pay increases and have a public vote. First, we have to stop that amendment and then get this thing across the finish line on Tuesday, but we have to absolutely let the people know what’s going on. We have to drain the swamp in downtown Jacksonville.”

DOCUMENT: View a copy of the proposed legislation

Diamond said right now it looks like the NOPE bill, which stands for “No Obligatory Pay Enlargement,” has about nine council members in favor and 10 against, but he’s hopeful it could still pass during the full vote on Tuesday.

If not, he said he’ll keep bringing it back every year because he thinks it’s “the right thing to do.”

“In the middle of a pandemic, we got an automatic pay raise. That’s insanity. And the public had no idea,” Diamond said. “It’s the public’s money. This is the one time of year that we vote to take money out of your pocket and put it into our own. That should be out in the public. That should be for everybody to know. That should have the highest level of scrutiny.”

Under his legislation, the city council would fix annual salaries for council members at a rate equivalent to half the salary for a county commissioner in a county roughly the same size as Duval. Only the council president would earn more. Any pay raises, including those based on the adjusted cost of living, would have to be filed and approved in a bill separate from the city’s annual budget.


About the Author
Bruce Hamilton headshot

This Emmy Award-winning television, radio and newspaper journalist has anchored The Morning Show for 18 years.

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