The the base salary, wages, uh, amounts were set last in 2015. Um, in 2017, the council at the time amended the ordinance to set a inflator or a way that would adjust it. It was every other year using the CPI for urban areas, for all consumer goods. Um, that what that did not do is account for any inflation that took place in the alternate years.

And we’ve gone back and take taken the original amount and increase that with the CPI W, which is the annual wage for workers and clerical workers. Um, that’s the same calculator that is used for Social Security increases.

So, you know, speaking for myself, you know, we get like, what do I make 12,000 a year. about that? Then once a month, I like to change in my checking account about $664 because I have extra taxes taken out, because that money on top of. But we you know, there’s no benefits, there’s no car allowance. Um, no vacation, no cell phone. I mean, it’s not like we’re well paid, but you do it because you really love the community and you want to see better things for the community.

But I think that, as John mentioned, just keeping this position up with inflation is important because one thing that we’ve struggled with in, in crystal in the past is making sure we have really competitive elections. I think competitive elections create better representatives. And just by having a kind of a competitive part time council member wage, um, hopefully is the thing that helps. Um, you know, a spouse explained to their other spouse like, hey, this is something I really want to do, and you shouldn’t get really upset at me for being gone three nights out of the week. Uh, because, hey, at least I can help make our car payment this week. Uh, from it.