It took just seven minutes and no discussion Wednesday for Baltimore’s spending board to give the city’s top elected officials a raise.

The 2.5% pay bumps will be paid to Mayor Brandon Scott, City Council President Zeke Cohen and Comptroller Bill Henry, among other members of the city government. The three make up the majority of the city spending board that “noted” the increases this week.

In Baltimore, annual salary increases for elected officials are a foregone conclusion, a gift from city lawmakers past.

How did this happen?

The year was 2006, and Sheila Dixon was the president of the Baltimore City Council. With Dixon’s backing and the support of most of her fellow members, the council placed a question on the ballot asking voters to establish a compensation commission to study the possibility of raises for council members and other elected officials.

The commission, approved by 70% of voters, did just that, and by early 2007 a proposal was on the table for double-digit salary hikes for top city officials. The mayor’s salary was $125,000 at the time and stood to increase to $148,000 under the measure.

The City Council had the option to approve, reject or take no official action on the proposed increases, and ultimately chose the latter, according to news reports. Of the 11 members present for a hearing on the bill, only three voted to reject the raises: Council members Mary Pat Clarke, Kenneth Harris Sr. and Keiffer Mitchell Jr.

Mitchell, who was running for mayor at the time and pushed for the vote, was accused by some of his fellow council members of political grandstanding, according to published reports.

The initial increases were sizable, but the lasting impact of the legislation was a provision that stipulates that elected officials are entitled to an increase of 2.5% if a raise is paid to any of the city’s unions in a given year. Those unions represent city police and firefighters, who routinely receive raises, and also include the Managerial and Professional Society of Baltimore, a quasi-union group that maintains a memorandum of understanding with the city rather than a contract.

How much does everyone get?

The Managerial and Professional Society of Baltimore received a 2% cost of living increase effective in July, triggering the increases below:

• Mayor: to $219,708 from $214,349
• Comptroller: to $145,480 from $141,932
• City Council president: to $145,480 from $141,932
• Vice president of City Council: to $93,524 from $91,243
• Council members: to $84,619 from $82,555

The legislation passed in 2007 does not mandate a pay increase for Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates, but the administration has also approved a 2.5% pay increase for his position.

Bates will now make $244,741, up from $238,772. City salary records show the state’s attorney’s salary has not increased since at least 2011.

Even with the increases, the city’s elected officials, other than Bates, will still earn less than Baltimore’s 30 best-paid employees.

In fiscal year 2025, which ended in July, the top paid city official was Police Commissioner Richard Worley, with a $311,427 salary. Worley is followed by City Administrator Faith Leach, who earned $275,940; Deputy Mayor Anthony Barksdale, who earned $263,156; and Deputy Mayor Khalil Zaied, who earned $259,920.

Could it happen again?

Yes. The charter amendment passed by the City Council in 2006 and approved by voters called for a compensation commission two years after every general election. The last general election was in 2024.

Baltimore leaders are assembling members of that commission now.

The commission must be seated by Oct. 1 and will submit its findings to the City Council on or before October 2027.