Generally, your tax dollars are not used to support the Memorial Day Parade, Cruisin' Gratiot, or other special events. Each large annual event in Eastpointe typically has a private committee that throws private fundraisers to pay for the extra police presence and DPW services. The only exception since I was first a Councilmember in 2014, is that in 2021, due to the coronavirus pandemic, City Council voted to cover the costs for the Memorial Day Parade, as fundraising was going to be very difficult. Then the parade did not happen, due to a lack of participation, in what seems to generally be attributed to pandemic hesitancy by the usual participants. In summary, your tax dollars have not been used to support either event over at least the last six years, and probably much longer.

The City has a Local Officers Compensation Commission that gathers once every two years to determine the pay of each member of City Council. Historically, the Mayor has been paid a little more than each Councilperson. The City Council can reject recommendations by a two-thirds vote, leaving the current salary schedule in place. Below is the pay scale:

  FY 2023 FY 2022 FY 2021  FY 2020  FY 2019  FY 2018  FY 2015 
Mayor  $4,520 $4,520 $4,520 $4,431 $4,344 $4,258 $4,174
Councilmember $3,780 $3,780 $3,780 $3,705 $3,632 $3,560 $3,490
Per Meeting $52 $52 $52  $51 $50 $45 $40
Meeting Maximum 52 52 52 52 52 52 52

 

My actual pay for calendar year 2019 was $6,051.

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