Voters in Islamorada could have the final say on whether compensation should increase for council members who are elected to seats in November 2024. There are questions, however, whether a recent vote by the dais will allow the ballot question to move forward.
At an Oct. 10 meeting, the council voted 3-2 on an ordinance’s second reading to send the question of upping the dais’ pay to $2,000 a month to next year’s ballot. The village clerk, Marne McGrath, stated that the ordinance passed following the close vote. The ordinance was approved on first reading at a Sept. 29 meeting via 4-1 vote.
The village clerk’s office confirmed Wednesday afternoon that the question won’t go to the 2024 ballot due to the lack of votes. Per the village charter, four affirmative votes are needed to provide for an increase by ordinance.
An original proposal by Councilwoman Elizabeth Jolin at a Sept. 29 meeting sought to ask voters whether they’d support a $3,000-a-month paycheck for the next council. In her statements, she said raising the pay could bring a diverse group of candidates. It would also give village voters dissatisfied with the current state of affairs the ability to pay someone better to run for office, she said. Council members are currently paid $1,000 a month, or $12,000 a year.
Vice Mayor Sharon Mahoney and Councilman Mark Gregg voted against the ordinance’s second reading. Gregg, who was the lone “no” vote on the ordinance’s first reading at the Sept. 29 meeting, alluded to a similar effort to raise council pay that was shut down by 75% of the voters at the November 2022 election.
Council’s Oct. 10 meeting lasted a little more than two hours after members worked through a few discussion items and approved an ordinance and resolutions. The dais officially moved to a Tuesday-Thursday meeting schedule this month in a bid to reduce the 5-to-6-hour meetings witnessed over the past several months. The dais didn’t meet Oct. 12 since all action items were addressed two days prior.
Toward the end of the meeting, the dais discussed the next steps in the village manager hiring process. Council members were expected to present a list of preferred candidates for interviews to the village clerk by Oct. 25. From there, the dais is expected to interview eight to 10 candidates via Zoom at a public meeting sometime mid-November.
In other matters, Councilman Henry Rosenthal suggested the village increase its holiday decorations by providing $50,000 more this year. It would be an increase from the $105,000 allocated in the 2023-24 budget for the holidays. Decorations and lights during previous holidays were installed by Holiday Lightscapes Inc. of Satellite Beach.
“We are the only place outside Key West to celebrate Christmas to that extent. Was it worth it? Absolutely. No question in my mind,” Rosenthal said.
Some council members didn’t support more money for additional decorations. Councilwoman Elizabeth Jolin suggested lights be redistributed in places such as Southwinds Park where trees used to be lit.
“It would be more bang for our buck,” she said.
A.J. Engelmeyer, public works director, told the dais more lights will be placed in front of Founders Park for the upcoming holiday season.
The council will have its next meeting Tuesday, Nov. 7 at 5:30 p.m. at Founders Park Community Center.
