MARSHALL — Salaries for Marshall’s mayor and city council members will be increasing over the next two years. On Tuesday, the council voted to approve amendments to city ordinances that would adjust mayor and council member pay over the next two years.

Currently, the salary for the Marshall mayor is $11,338.87. Under the new adjustments, it would increase to $11,679.04 in 2025, and $12,029.41 in 2026.

Currently, council member salaries are $7,172.11. Under the new adjustments, it would increase to $7,387.27 in 2025 and $7,608.89 in 2026.

Earlier this month, council members had introduced the amendments adjusting mayor and council salaries. The proposal would increase mayor and council salaries by the same rate salaries are adjusted for non-union city employees, Mayor Bob Byrnes said.

“I do want to point out as well that no change in salary shall take effect until after the next seating municipal election,” Marshall City Administrator Sharon Hanson said Tuesday. That would mean mayor and council salaries would not increase until January 2025. “That’s really kind of a safeguard for the council setting their own salary. If the public does not agree with it, they can certainly make their opinions known at the general election in November.”

Hanson said adjustments in mayor and council salaries were also an equity issue. There was a big time commitment involved in serving on the city council, and not all qualified members of the public might be able to make that commitment without some compensation.

“We don’t want just candidates for office who are those that are well off,” she said. “It, to me, prevents some discrimination of those who can’t afford to serve. Elected officials’ salaries are always a tough decision … but you are looking ahead, and if you want people to serve, it could provide some attraction to qualified candidates.”

Council members voted 6-1 in favor of setting the salary adjustments, with council member James Lozinski casting the vote against.

On Wednesday, Lozinski said he wasn’t opposed to adjusting salaries, but did not want to approve an adjustment for himself.

“I don’t want to vote for my own raise,” Lozinski said. “I wish there was some other committee that did that.”

Lozinski said he wasn’t certain what the process would be if the city were to change how mayor and council salaries are approved.