Bangor council pay

A group of Bangor citizens is doing what almost no one ever does: recognizing that local elected officials are a valuable commodity, one worth reimbursing — if not for the tremendous amount of time they dedicate to their communities, then at least for their out-of-pocket expenses.

The Bangor group is looking at the $400 annual stipend paid to city councilors and wondering whether this is the land that time forgot. The stipend was set in 1951, a fine year, but not one that councilors need to revisit each time they receive their checks.

For comparison, the group — Charles Birkel, Mary Sullivan and Charles Helfen — looked at stipends for councilors of other Maine cities. One thing for certain is that no one is getting rich sitting on the local city council, but at least the councilors elsewhere get reimbursed for their gasoline and paper clips: In Portland, the stipend is $4,478; Lewiston, $2,700; and Augusta, $1,500. Mr. Birkel notes that if Bangor’s $400 were adjusted for inflation, it would add up to approximately $2,500.

The group hasn’t decided what stipend level to propose for the council, which could be considered by referendum, but notes that there are 16 types of regular and special meetings that council members are required to attend and that their duties are growing. The same could be said for the Bangor School Committee, whose members are rewarded with an abysmal $250 annual stipend. The group is also reviewing that remuneration.

A referendum in 1995 would have increased the City Council stipend to $1,500, but it was defeated by voters, perhaps because the issue first was raised by the council. Councilors may have — and certainly deserve — better luck with a citizens group leading the charge this time.