Park City council to hold public hearing, vote Thursday on doubling its own salaries

City Council Meeting, Park City, on March 5, 2026. Photo: TownLift//Randi Sidman-Moore

Park City leaders are considering more than doubling compensation for elected officials in the proposed FY27 budget, with city leaders saying the demands of governing the resort community have evolved far beyond a traditional part-time role.

PARK CITY, Utah — Park City leaders are set to hold a public hearing and vote at their regular city council meeting Thursday, May 21, on substantial increases in compensation for elected officials as part of the city’s proposed fiscal year 2027 budget.

Currently, the mayor’s salary, including health benefits and a $3,000 car allowance, is $85,484. City councilors’ salary and health benefits come out to $55,795.

The proposal for fiscal year 2027 would increase the total compensation package for the mayor to $149,397 per year and councilors’ to $88,064 each, more than doubling their current salaries.

When healthcare and benefits costs are factored in, total compensation for elected officials would rise from roughly $389,000 under the current structure to nearly $596,000 under the proposal.

While the compensation proposal represents a small fraction of the city’s overall proposed $98.3 budget, it stands out as one of the largest percentage increases within the General Fund.

If approved, the proposal would likely make Park City’s elected officials among the highest-compensated local representatives in Utah on a per-resident basis, though city leaders argue Park City’s governance demands extend far beyond those of a typical city its size, citing major development projects, increasing state and federal attention, and the city’s growing role in preparations for the 2034 Winter Olympics.

City leaders cite increasing workload

City staff framed the proposal as a response to the growing demands of elected service in Park City, where officials say municipal governance has become increasingly complex in recent years.

Councilmember Tana Toly said the workload associated with serving on the council has changed dramatically over the past decade.

“This is supposed to be a part-time job. This is not a part-time community,” Toly said. “There is no world where my phone is not going off all day long, and I’m answering emails, and I’m answering constituents.”

Toly said she spends roughly 40 hours per week on council responsibilities, including legislative advocacy, board service, and constituent outreach.

“I work 40 hours a week — that’s $12 an hour,” she said.

“For several years, compensation for these elected positions has remained largely static,” city staff wrote in budget materials presented to the council. Cost of living increases have raised salaries incrementally in past years, typically under 10 percent increases.

“Market correction” for salaries

In a statement, city officials said the proposed increases reflect the “substantial time commitment and evolving expectations” associated with serving as mayor or on the City Council.

The city described the proposal as a “market correction” aligned with compensation changes recently implemented in comparable jurisdictions, including Summit County council, which recently voted to raise their salaries to over $70,000, including benefits.

A market analysis of city council and mayor salaries was last done by Park City Municipal in 2014. The analysis done for the upcoming fiscal year was performed by a blue-ribbon commission, according to city staff.

Toly said the comparison to Summit County played a significant role in the discussion.

“We do almost the exact same amount of work,” she said. “We’re on similar boards, we spend a similar amount of time at the state legislature, we have almost the exact same budget, and we are getting paid almost a third of what the county gets paid.”

According to the city, the proposal is also intended to “remove financial barriers to serving as an elected official” and better align compensation with the time commitment and expertise now expected of local leaders. Still, recent Park City council races have remained relatively competitive, with eight candidates running in the 2025, 2023, and 2021 elections.

Toly also pointed to the upcoming 2034 Winter Olympics as another factor increasing the demands placed on local officials.

“Our job is not going to get easier,” Toly said. “We’re going to be expected to make some decisions that affect the entire country when it comes to the Olympics.”

Public hearing scheduled May 21

Still, the proposal raises political and ethical questions that are likely to draw scrutiny, including whether the increases should be phased in over time and how Park City’s compensation compares with other mountain communities.

Per Utah Code, any change to council compensation must be established by ordinance following a public hearing. The policy aims to ensure transparency before elected officials can vote to increase their own wages.

A public hearing on elected officials’ compensation is scheduled for Thursday, May 21, at 5:30 p.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall.

The City Council is expected to adopt the final FY27 budget June 11.