Cambridge city council approves 3.59% pay hike for themselves

Cambridge city council members voted to give themselves a 3.59 per cent raise during a meeting on Tuesday night.

“I think you’ve made a good decision tonight and I think the taxpayers will respect you for that,” Cambridge Mayor Jan Liggett said after the council vote passed Tuesday.

The move comes at the recommendation of a citizen committee which was formed to look at councillors’ remunerations and expenses over the next few years.

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The salary hike for the councillors comes in addition to cost of living adjustments that council will receive but they are currently paid $42,000, in what is considered by the city to be a part-time role.

The committee also recommended that if the job of councillor were to become a full-time position, the salary would be between $85,000 and $100,000.

The committee also made several recommendations on how expenses should be handled including raising meal per diems to $95 per day and up to $1,000 per year for home security systems.

Council chose to defer these recommendations as part of the council expense policy until September.