North Bend’s Salary Commission has decided to raise compensation for the mayor and city council members starting in January.

At the Sept. 16 meeting of the North Bend City Council, the three-person commission presented its decision. Starting in 2026, the mayor’s salary will increase from $4,000 to $6,000 per month — a 50% percent increase — and city councilmember salaries will increase from $550 to $570 per month — a 3% increase for a cost of living raise.

The commission also decided to eliminate the mayor’s stipend for meeting attendance (a maximum of $1,000 per month), “opting to fold that expectation into the base salary,” said Commissioner Susan Sill. The net impact of the mayor’s new salary on the city’s budget is then an increase of $1,000 per month.

The commission is an independent group of three people, appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the city council. State law states that decisions by the Salary Commission are binding and do not require any action by the council.

When making their 2025 decision, commission members said they considered several things, including the council salaries of peer jurisdictions, any new demands of elected officials since the last review and cost of living adjustments. The commission also took into consideration whether compensation was “sufficient so that every citizen could consider serving as an elected official without undue financial burden,” said Commissioner Terry Pottmeyer.

Councilmember Errol Tremolada, who served on the commission in the past, said the current compensation for and expectations of the mayor do not allow for a diverse candidate pool, “especially for what I would consider my demographic of growing families.”

“It’s pretty impossible to expect somebody with young children to walk away from their employment and serve as a leader of a community this size under the current structure,” he said. “I think this town is far more diverse than maybe it’s ever been, and I think that needs to be reflected in the leaders that come forth in the future. And part of that is going to be having to increase the compensation for this role so people feel like they are not leaving their family in a tough spot.”

Tremolada also acknowledged that this is a tough decision and there is no “fool-proof” answer.

Councilmember Suzan Torguson raised concerns about finding extra funds in the budget as North Bend is facing a $26 million budget deficit for the 2026-2030 planning period.

While the council has no say over the salary decision, Torguson noted that in other cities, mayors have “refused” their salary increase by donating a portion back to the city.

“I think I can speak for the whole council when I say we truly respect the independence of this process. We appreciate that it’s designed to stay free from influence by the mayor and by council and by the city staff,” Torguson said. “Respecting the process also means being honest about the broader context the city is facing, particularly the financial challenges that lie ahead.”

Torguson then candidly asked Mayor Mary Miller if she would be willing to donate part of her salary, which Miller declined to comment on during the meeting.

“I think this comes as a surprise and, councilmembers, I would wish to remind you all very kindly that surprises are not welcome here,” Miller said. “That would have been nice to have known that you had this on your mind. … I’m willing to work with all of you, and I always am.”

During the meeting, other councilmembers asked how the council would, hypothetically, make changes to or disband the Salary Commission. City Attorney Kendra Rosenberg responded that any changes would have to be made through a normal ordinance process.

The Salary Commission was created in 2017, and its last review and decision was in 2022. At that time, the mayor’s salary increased from $3,000 to $4,000 per month, and the councilmembers’ salaries increased from $500 to $550 per month.