In November, Astoria voters will consider whether to adjust the city’s policy on compensation for the mayor and City Council.

City Councilor Tom Brownson has been a vocal advocate for increasing pay for the city’s elected leaders. The city charter provides that each city councilor receives $60 a month and the mayor receives $100 a month.

If the ballot measure is approved by voters, the provision on pay will be deleted and replaced with a clause giving the unelected members of the city’s budget committee the authority to annually review and establish the level of compensation. The budget committee is made up of the five city councilors and five people appointed from the community, so the structure would sidestep the conflict of city councilors setting their own pay.

To consider the issue, the city appointed an ad hoc council compensation review committee to examine whether compensation is a barrier for people running for City Council.

David Oser, who retired after a career in finance, served as the chair of the ad hoc committee, which met in June and July. Oser presented the committee’s findings at a City Council meeting Monday. He reported that the committee agreed the current level of compensation is “derisory” considering the amount of work required of elected officials.

“We also noted that it could, for certain people, be a deterrent to people who wish to serve on the council,” Oser said. “People may have the amount of desire for public service. They may be willing to spend the time that’s involved, but the financial sacrifice might be the one thing that keeps them from serving.”

Oser noted that the ad hoc committee, which examined the compensation provided in comparable cities in Oregon and Washington state, did not come to a consensus about a specific dollar amount.

Nancy Montgomery, who served on the ad hoc committee, spoke during the public comment portion of the council meeting and argued in favor of tying council compensation to the minimum wage — including both a minimum rate and a not-to-exceed rate.

“My concern is that if (the ballot measure) doesn’t include some transparency and clarity on what those pay parameters might be … having no not-to-exceed cap could leave voters skittish,” she said.

The City Council voted unanimously to approve the language leaving it to the budget committee to decide on the level of compensation, only slightly modifying the recommendation from the ad hoc committee. Mayor Sean Fitzpatrick, City Councilor Elisabeth Adams and City Councilor Andy Davis declared potential conflicts of interest before voting.

Brownson is not seeking reelection in November. City Councilor Tom Hilton, who also does not plan to run for reelection, argued that the increased pay should take effect as soon as possible.

“We did this because we want to encourage people to run for public office,” Hilton said. “It’s not a way to make money, but it would help compensate them for their time and their service.”