PEABODY â The City Council granted Mayor Ted Bettencourt a 3% raise with little discussion Thursday night.
Councilors approved the increase in a 10-0 vote, with Ward 6 Councilor Michael Higgins abstaining.
The move bumps Bettencourtâs salary from $135,000 to $139,000. He receives benefits granted to full-time employees of the city and the use of an automobile.
The council is required by city statute to review the mayorâs salary each February. Bettencourt has denied a raise five times since he was first elected in 2011.
âWeâve been trying to keep on track to fund that position and make it appropriate so that weâll get good people to run for office,â Councilor at-Large Tom Gould said at Thursdayâs meeting.
Mayors in Lynn and Beverly earn $145,000 a year while Salemâs mayor receives a salary of $150,000.
As for nearby town managers, Saugusâ Scott Crabtree earns a salary of $187,000, Swampscottâs Sean Fitzgerald earns $162,000 annually and town managers in Danvers and Lynnfield make more than $200,000, Gould said.
Bettencourtâs raise directly affects councilorsâ salary, which is 9% of what he makes annually.
Through the increase, councilors will now earn about $12,500. They also receive a $150 monthly stipend.
Higgins abstained from the vote because he wasnât comfortable supporting a pay increase for himself when Thursday marked only his fourth meeting as councilor, he told The Salem News on Friday.
He was elected to the council for the first time this November.
âI think the mayor is doing a wonderful job and the citizens also believe heâs doing a great job,â Higgins said. âWhen you look at other mayors around the North Shore, heâs making well below what theyâre making, so I definitely feel heâs deserving of the raise. I just donât know that I am yet.â
Contact Caroline Enos at CEnos@northofboston.com.