By Roger Jimenez, Interning Correspondent for The Apopka Voice
Apopka city commissioners may soon see changes in their paychecks. At the August 6th City Council meeting, officials scheduled an October workshop to reevaluate compensation, following a study showing Apopka's commissioner salaries are comparable to similar-sized cities but still below some.
At a previous meeting, Commissioner Nadia Anderson requested clarification on how elected officials are compensated.
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Human Resources Director Joseph Patton presented the findings of a comparative study on commissioner salaries. The study surveyed compensation models from nearby municipalities and found no uniform method for determining pay, and each city follows its own approach.
"There is no legal framework for how to decide on commissioner compensation," Patton explained, noting that policies vary widely. "There are some that have [population-based pay], maybe one or two that I found. There are some that have a flat starting rate, and there are some that are decided on an annual basis."
Apopka's commissioner salaries have steadily increased over the last five years. In Fiscal Year 2019, commissioners earned $13,500 annually; in the current fiscal year, the number has risen to $17,500. The vice mayor receives an additional $300 annually.
Patton compared Apopka's current compensation to similar-sized cities. Jupiter, with a population of approximately 61,000, pays its commissioners $18,600 annually. Apopka, with around 62,000 residents, ranks just below. The City of Orlando, with a population of about 307,000, tops the list at $79,000 per year for each commissioner.
"Do any of the cities you have listed here have any kind of salary based on population growth?" Mayor Bryan Nelson asked.
Patton said that only a few cities appear to follow that model.
Commissioner Diane Velazquez recalled the evolution of a commissioner's role in recent years.
"When I first became commissioner, I had noticed that we weren't very involved in the community and certainly not involved in the process," she said. "They used to just show up and vote. But I think over the years, we have all grown, each one of us. We are at every community event, we support different organizations, the public has more access to us than ever, and our city keeps growing and growing."
The council concluded the discussion by announcing a workshop on commissioner compensation for October 15th at 6 p.m.
Editor's Note: A quote by Commissioner Diane Velazquez was heard incorrectly and reported on in a previous edition of this article. It has been corrected.
