PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – The Providence Republican City Committee is calling for the city to reduce the pay of City Council members who are absent for too many meetings.
The proposal comes days after a Target 12 review of three years of attendance records revealed that several City Council members were absent from more than 50% of some subcommittee meetings, including one member who missed 100% of Education Subcommittee meetings before resigning from the panel in 2012.
“Every Providence city council member receives a salary of $18,765 plus a cell phone and medical and dental coverage,” Tara Pinsky, who chairs the city’s Republican Party, said in a statement. “All we ask is that they show up for meetings. If a plumber or parking lot attendant doesn’t show up, he doesn’t get paid, so why should council members get paid for not coming to work?”
Target 12: City Council members chronically absent
Interactive: See every council member’s attendance record
Web extra: City Council report card
Although the 15-member all-Democrat City Council is considered part-time, rank-and-file members are paid $18,765, while the council president and majority leader each earn $20,850. All council members are also entitled to health benefits and a city cellphone, giving them by far the most generous compensation of any municipal council in Rhode Island.
All told, Providence taxpayers will spend $1.95 million on salaries and medical benefits for the council over its current four-year term, according to city records.
Pinsky’s plan will likely be met with resistance from the council – particularly since a Republican hasn’t been elected to the body since Malcolm Farmer, who left office in 1991. But City Councilman Michael Correia has said he would like the council to implement a policy that would force a member to resign from any committee on which they miss three consecutive meetings.
“If you don’t have the time or the energy to do it, step aside and let one of our other colleagues that are not on a committee assignment step in to that position,” Correia told Target 12.
Other cities around the country have attempted to penalize council members with an excessive number of absences.
In Dallas, the council approved a law that would dock a member’s pay if they missed enough meetings. In Tustin, Calif., the council approved a measure that would reprimand any member who is absent more than two meetings in three months.
“While we commend Councilor Michael Correira for his plans to submit an attendance policy, we believe that the city should dock the salary of any city council member who misses more than three full council meetings,” Pinsky said.
Dan McGowan ( dmcgowan@wpri.com ) covers politics, education and the city of Providence for WPRI.com. Follow him on Twitter: @danmcgowan