The city’s Independent Salary Commission approved a 3.6% cost-of-living pay increase in 2025 for Kent Mayor Dana Ralph and the seven City Council members.

The three-member commission approved the pay hike at a Monday, March 23 meeting. The commission had proposed the increase at its March 6 meeting.

Ralph’s annual salary will go up to $219,720 this year from $212,088 in 2024, according to city documents. Pay for the part-time council members will increase to $37,296 per year from $36,000 in 2024.

The mayor’s new salary will keep her just above the Federal Way mayor at $216,828 per year and the Renton mayor at $216,504, according to salary commission documents. The annual pay for mayors at the other comparable cities are Everett, $215,940; Auburn, $200,316; Marysville, $186,576; and Redmond at $170,004.

The increase for the council keeps it the highest paid among comparable cities at $37,296 per year followed by Everett, $33,372; Redmond, $27,600; Renton, $24,000; Marysville, $20,280; Auburn, $20,004; and Federal Way at $19,536.

The comparable cities were selected based on a population of at least 25,000; be located in King, Pierce or Snohomish counties; and operate under a mayor-council plan of government. To ensure comparability to cities similar in size to Kent, the city of Seattle with a population of 797,700 and cities with populations under 60,000 were excluded.

Kent is the largest city of the six with a population of 140,400, according to commission documents. Next is Everett, 114,800; Renton, 108,800; Federal Way, 102,500; Auburn, 88,950; Redmond, 80,040; and Marysville, 74,390.

The Kent City Council voted 5-2 to form the Independent Salary Commission in 2022 to look at increasing pay for the mayor and council members. Three residents applied to be on the commission and were approved by the council. The commission in 2023 hiked the mayor’s salary to $198,000 from $168,141 per year, with a 2.5% cost-of-living increase on Jan. 1, 2024. The commission approved a salary increase of $9,132 for the mayor last year and kept the council at the same pay.

The members of this year’s commission are Julie Miller, Pat Hanis and Bill Cogswell. Miller and Hanis were part of the original commission approved by the council. Cogswell was approved at the Feb. 18 council meeting. He replaced Todd Minor.

One resident showed up at the March 24 meeting to speak during the public comment period but only asked questions, according to a city spokesperson. The commission meets each year to decide whether to give pay raises to the mayor and council.