Mail-in voters appeared to say no — again — to a salary increase for Tucson’s mayor and City Council.
The results posted Tuesday evening for Proposition 405, which reflect early mail-in ballots only, show the ballot measure failing.
Prop. 405 would have given the mayor and council a 14 percent to 15 percent pay raise.
The pay raises were recommended by the Citizens’ Commission on Public Service and Compensation, but the mayor and council didn’t support the raises.
“When you look at city workers that have been very slow to get raises, if they got them at all, and so many resources that need to go to the city services … we didn’t expect that to pass,” said Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild.
Tucson voters last approved a pay raise in 1999. Voters have rejected pay-raise questions in 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2007.
Charter changes may pass
Two other city ballot questions, Propositions 403 and 404, looked to be passing in early results.
The items were recommended by the Charter Review Committee.
Prop. 403 would give the mayor a tad more power, including a vote in the firing of the city manager and some other top officials.
It also would allow the mayor to count toward a meeting quorum. The city charter, which is like the city’s constitution, requires four of the six council members to be present at meetings.
Prop. 404 would simplify the hiring and firing processes for city department heads.
