Yuma City Mayor not worried about salary ahead of fourth term

Yuma, Ariz. (KYMA) - Tomorrow, the Yuma City Council will canvas the votes from the primary election in July. Bringing new faces to the council.

However, the one thing that hasn’t changed is their pay.

The pay for Yuma City Council and mayor is very low compared to other cities around Arizona.

Mayor Doug Nicholls receives a yearly salary of $12,000 while city council members get a salary of $3,600.

Mayor Nicholls says the pay is a little low but said it should not be the primary reason people should run for city council. 

"I don't know anybody who has ran that was hoping for a big salary, and I don't know anyone who heard the salary and decided not to run because of it. People generally want to get involved for their love of community, for their civic pride, for wanting to give back," Nicholls said.

Yuma is a rare case where voters get to decide on the salary of the council.

Mayor Nicholls says some people aren’t aware of how low the pay is.

“I think people are unaware of what the level really is. Because when you talk to the average person and you tell them, they’re shocked," Nicholls said.

The salaries for the city council has not changed since the 1980's. The mayor's salary has not been changed since the 1990's.