Celina Aldermen Increase Pay For Next Term Of Elected Officials

A charter change by the Celina Board of Aldermen will bring increased pay for Aldermen and Mayors starting in 2025.

The board approved Aldermen pay to increase to $300 per meeting as well as increasing the mayor’s compensation Tuesday. Mayor Luke Collins said the raise was based on surrounding municipalities.

“For too long, that charter has been in the 50’s, and in the 50’s, those were reasonable and good pay,” Collins said. “But, it needs to move up with the times.”

Under the changes, a city mayor’s pay would be equal to 2/3 of the county mayor’s salary. Aldermen will get an additional $100 for each special called meeting attended but may not exceed $600 per month.

“Our Aldermen currently make $50 a month maximum. That’s what they make,” Collins said. “So it is an absolute donation. They’re here because they care about their community. The city mayor’s pay I think it is $32,000, $33,000 something like that. It is way less than it should be. By far, it is the lowest paid election position in the entire county. I think the county executive pays about $85,000.”

Collins said the pay is similar to other counties in the region such as Pickett and Overton Counties.

“It is really asking a lot of people to be mayor or especially aldermen for $50 a month,” Collins said. “You have a huge amount responsibility, a huge workload and it is extremely important.”

The charter change also added the city clerk to the list of approved people to sign checks.