Tucson’s mayor and City Council won’t be getting raises after official results show Proposition 410 — the ballot measure to raise the salaries of the city’s top officials — failed by about 1%, according to official counts released by the city Monday night.
The results show about 47% of voters voted no on Prop. 410, while nearly 46% approved it. About 7% of city voters did not cast a vote on the item.
According to the results, 970 more votes were cast against the proposition than in favor of it. The ballot item was leading by 153 votes on election night when about 16,500 ballots were left to be tabulated.
The ballot item would have raised mayor and council salaries for the first time in two decades. The mayor’s pay would jump from $42,000 to $54,000 a year, and council member salaries would increase from $24,000 to $36,000 a year. Both would continue to rise with inflation after that.
The proposition is based on the recommendation of the Citizen’s Commission on Public Service and Compensation. Funding the raises would have cost about 15 cents per year for city residents.
“While Proposition 410 fell just short, we remain committed to challenging the structural barriers that keep many working people out of public service,” Laura Dent, one of seven members of commission, said in a written statement. “We thank Tucson voters for participating and look forward to continuing this important conversation with the community.”
All other ballot items returned the same results as unofficial ballot counts released Nov. 2. The $15 an hour minimum wage initiative passed with 58.7% of the vote, while Democrat Kevin Dahl will be the newest City Council member representing Ward 3 with 55.5% of the vote.
City Council members Steve Kozachik and Richard Fimbres kept their seats with 62% and 69% of the vote, respectively.
In this year’s Tucson elections, 90,138 voters cast a ballot, with a voter turnout rate of nearly 32%. City Council was to approve the canvass after 5:30 p.m. Tuesday during its regular meeting.
