Hilton Head council may raise its pay

Hilton Head Island Town Council members are considering giving themselves pay raises.

Council voted unanimously Tuesday to direct the town manager to prepare an ordinance, increasing the amount they receive for attending meetings to $50 per meeting —up from the current $40.

That raise would apply just to committee and business meetings, not regularly scheduled council meetings. It would increase the maximum pay for each council member between 4.1 percent and 7 percent.

Maximum combined pay — comprised of pay for attending meetings and base annual salary — would increase:

• From $16,800 to $17,800 for council members
• From $17,800 to $19,050 for the mayor pro tem
• From $30,000 to $31,250 for the mayor

The body last increased its pay in Oct. 2012, when it substantially bumped the mayor’s annual salary from $10,400 to $25,000 per year and the council members’ salaries from $7,000 to $12,800 per year.

It also increased the per-meeting attendance fees from $33 to $40.

Only one council member, Lee Edwards, voted against that move in 2012, arguing it should be delayed until the next election cycle.

On Wednesday, the now-outgoing council member said committee meetings have gotten longer and the schedule of a council member has gotten fuller.

“Despite the fact I won’t get any of it because I won’t be on council, I think it’s certainly well deserved,” Edwards said, referencing his upcoming departure from council, because he is moving out of Ward 3. “We’re doing a lot on council right now. I think we’re very active and it just really adds up on peoples’ time, so I think they wanted to see if they could recoup at least a little bit.”

Local businessman Peter Buonaiuto, who spoke at Tuesday’s meeting, said he has no problem with the pay raise. However, he would like to see council’s ordinance set a limit on the maximum total compensation members can receive, including legal fees for personal lawsuits.

His criticism stemmed from the town’s agreement to cover council member Kim Likin’s legal fees in a defamation lawsuit she filed in December against vocal town opponent Skip Hoagland. In a March 7 reply, Hoagland asked the Beaufort County court to dismiss her claim.

The town also passed a resolution in December that it would cover the legal fees of any other council member who sued Hoagland or filed a lawsuit in similar circumstances — a decision that frustrated Buonaiuto.

“What if the town continues to allow council members to file suits against others at taxpayer expense?” Buonaiuto said.

Council must vote on the proposed pay raise twice before it is final.

Council’s next regularly scheduled meeting will be held at 4 p.m. April 5.

This story was originally published March 16, 2016 at 5:33 PM with the headline "Hilton Head council may raise its pay."