LAWTON – The mayor and each city council member will receive a $5,000 pay raise in Fiscal Year 2025-26 – their f irst in 19 years.
Effective July 1, 2025, the mayor’s compensation will increase from $15,000 to $20,000, and compensation for the eight council members will double from $5,000 to $10,000. In addition, the mayor pro tempore will receive an extra $2,500 in addition to his/her paycheck as a councilor.
The increase was proposed, in part, “to encourage more citizens to run for elected positions,” city officials said. In addition, the adjustment “accounts for the rising cost of living and inflation in recent years.” Compensation for City Council members has remained static since 2005.
“I probably spend 20 to 30 hours a week on council work,” said Ward 2 Councilman Kelly Harris. “We also pay for our gas and have to buy the phones we use” while conducting city business.
Harris won’t reap a cent from the unanimous vote on the proposal; he was attending his f inal city council meeting, stepping down after one three-year term.