So much for making the Aurora City Council a full-time gig and increasing the power of the mayor.
At a retreat last weekend, the council decided against asking voters to approve raises for the council and mayor. It also nixed an idea to give Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan much more reach and go to a “strong mayor” form of government instead of the city manager making the decisions, as it is now.
Instead, City Council members Monday night agreed to award themselves a $100 stipend when they travel to regional committee boards, such as the Denver Regional Council of Government.
Aurora City Councilwoman Renie Peterson proposed the idea to make council full time and to bump pay from $1,073 a month to about $40,000 per year. She also wanted to increase the mayor’s pay from about $55,000 a year to $80,000.
Peterson said she proposed the idea, among other reasons, so Aurora could be more on par with Denver when they compete and negotiate on projects.
The mayor in Denver calls most of the shots. In Aurora, the power lies with the 10-member City Council and the city manager performs the day-to-day operations of the city.
“I’m disappointed they didn’t agree to go to the voters,” Peterson said. “Right now, every decision the mayor makes he has to send an e-mail to the entire council to get six to go his way to get anything done.”
Hogan also supported having more authority and was in favor of increasing the City Council’s pay.
City Councilwoman Barb Cleland said she opposed Peterson’s proposal because the pay was too high. Also, she said, the city needs first to decide whether to pursue becoming a city and county, which it is studying now.
“Until we figure out what we want to be as a government, I don’t think we need to piecemeal things,” Cleland said.
“What do we want to be when we grow up? I don’t know.”
Carlos Illescas: 303-954-1175, cillescas@denverpost.com or twitter.com/cillescasdp
