Town Administrator Courtney Dennis showed Irmo Town Council members during the recent public meeting a study advocating that the members should be receiving more money than they currently are. 

“The medium market for council members' and mayors' salaries is a lot higher than what you guys are being compensated at,” Dennis said. 

Currently, the base salary for council members is set to $7,200 annually, while the mayor’s set salary is set to $9,600 annually. With this amended ordinance, the base salary for council members would increase to $10,000 annually and to $13,500 annually for Mayor Danielson.

According to Dennis, the last adjustment made to the salaries took place in 2013 when a salary compensation study was conducted. 

The Irmo staff additionally proposed a salary structure for council members to be incentivized by going through professional development training. This training, Dennis explained, has two tiers. 

The first tier is Municipal Elected Officials Institute (MEO) training. This provides training, education and professional development to newly elected mayors and city council members across the state of South Carolina. Within the first tier, members must complete seven courses and attend two-day sessions.

The second tier is for members who complete the advanced Municipal Elected Officials training. This tier includes additional online courses as well as an opportunity to attend in-person courses. 

If council members were to complete the training in tier one and graduate, their salary would increase to $12,000 annually. If Mayor Danielson completes and graduates from the training in tier one, his salary would increase to $15,000 annually.

If council members complete and graduate from the advanced training, their salary would increase to $13,500 annually. If Mayor Danielson completes and graduates from the advanced training, his salary would increase to $16,500 annually.

Dennis, along with the staff at Irmo, says this salary structure fairly compensates the council.

Councilman Penfield expressed the importance of these training sessions, saying, “I have found great value in going through the training. ... As a town, we’re setting a precedent and I believe this will have ripples of influence throughout the state.”

Mayor Danielson agreed, noting that most newly elected council members and mayors don’t take this training, but he believes it’s imperative. 

“A few years ago, I tried to mandate this education process on the council and it got shot down with multiple shotguns,” he said. “It should be a requirement to take these educational classes.”

Dennis informed the board that the salary increase, if approved after second reading, would not be in effect until December, when new members are sworn in following the November election. 

A second reading of this ordinance will occur in an upcoming meeting. 

The next regular town council meeting will be on Tuesday, May 20, at 6:30 p.m. at the Irmo Municipal Building located at 7300 Woodrow St.