Extra mayoral pay opposed

EAGLE MOUNTAIN — Councilman Mark Madsen's suggestion that the city spend a one-time $25,000-$35,000 windfall to compensate Mayor Kelvin Bailey for extra work has touched off a firestorm of opposition.

Madsen believes Bailey has earned that much because he has been the acting city administrator in addition to his mayoral duties the past three months since the former administrator resigned.

The councilman believes Bailey should be rewarded for turning down consulting work that would have taken him out of state.

But the other City Council members see it differently. They say Bailey knew what kind of money he'd be getting when he ran for mayor and what the job would involve.

They believe the one-time "bonus" would be an inappropriate expenditure of public money.

Bailey, who runs a consulting business, said he has never asked for additional compensation or the pay raise approved recently that will boost the mayor's salary from $400 a month to $750 beginning in January 2004. The mayor said he only brought up financial issues to benefit future mayors who may be asked to serve — as he does — as both mayor and the rapidly growing town's administrator.

"Usually a mayor can do what he needs to do during the evenings and on weekends," Bailey said. "Since Eagle Mountain has its own utilities, it requires doing things during daytime hours. The job demands full-time service."

Bailey said he asked the city attorney to research other forms of government to see if there was a way to more effectively provide consistent mayoral leadership without having to pay for a full-time mayor.

"I don't want the full-time CEO position. I like what I'm doing (for a livelihood), but my work takes me out-of-state on a regular basis and more and more as the economy slows," Bailey said.

Madsen said he believes it's logical to take the money saved by streamlining city staffing and to compensate Bailey for his service and give him an economic incentive to stay in the city.

"I think it's really to help out the city. I think it's the right idea for a short-term solution," Madsen said. "But I think the die is cast. It was pretty clear at the (Feb. 4) meeting that the council did not want to support the idea."

Madsen said the city is currently trying to divest itself of its utility companies and it's critical for the mayor to be involved in those ongoing negotiations.

"But this was my idea, not Kelvin's," Madsen said.

Councilman Greg Kehl said, "The problem is not the money, it's the fact that a year and a half ago, as we were all standing out there with our stupid signs looking like a bunch of nimrods to come up here to do this position, the No. 1 thing that you two gentlemen said is that you wanted to cut budgets, save money and reduce government. So far, we've increased salaries, added more positions."

"I don't think the people elected us to be paid or to be taxed to pay our salaries," said Councilwoman Diane Jacob.

Bailey said Tuesday that his wife's recent stroke makes the issue moot since he will not be leaving the area for work for the time being.

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