Should the next Green Bay mayor get a $44,000 raise? Committee will take up question this week.

Jonathan Anderson | Green Bay Press-Gazette

Show Caption Hide Caption Green Bay mayoral candidates Five candidates have declared their intention to run for Green Bay mayor in April.

GREEN BAY - This week could set in motion major changes to city governance.

First, officials will consider giving the next Green Bay mayor a $44,000 raise.

And second, a panel will discuss whether rules requiring City Council members to behave civilly should be changed or abandoned.

Proposed mayoral raise

Whoever wins the Green Bay mayoral election next year could also get a big bump in pay.

City officials on Tuesday are scheduled to consider Alderwoman Barbara Dorff's proposal to increase the mayor's salary by at least $44,000 over the next four years.

Under the proposal, the mayor's current salary of $82,535 would increae $11,000 annually between 2019 and 2022, topping out at $126,535.

The mayor could also receive whatever annual pay increase the city provides to general municipal employees.

Dorff said the raise would provide more equitable compensation for the mayor compared to some city department heads and other mayors around the state.

A city analysis found that among other mayors in Wisconsin, Green Bay's mayor receives the eighth-largest salary in the state, even though Green Bay is the third-largest city.

The mayor's salary was last increased in 2010.

"We want someone to run for office not just, of course, for the salary, but that certainly might affect someone who couldn't afford to run for office if they're taking a pay cut," Dorff said. "Mainly it's just trying to be fair."

So far, five people have declared candidacy for the April 2019 mayoral election: Eric Genrich, Mark Steuer, Patrick Evans, Patrick Buckley and Nick Mortensen.

Mayor Jim Schmitt has said he doesn't plan to run again, although he still could. He is expected to make a final decision by October.

The city's Personnel Committee will discuss the mayor's salary on Tuesday, immediately following the 4:30 p.m. Finance Committee meeting at City Hall, 100 N. Jefferson St.

RELATED: Alderman wants city manager to aid mayor

Alderman wants ethics rules reviewed

Alderman Chris Wery has asked the city to review the council's code of conduct and ethics policy because of "constitutional concerns."

The request, which includes the possibility of changing or removing the rules, comes after former Alderman Guy Zima and his lawyer claimed the code of conduct violates elected officials' First Amendment rights.

The code of conduct requires council members to treat each other, city employees and members of the public with respect, while those found to have violated the policy can be sanctioned.

Dorff filed a code of conduct complaint against Zima earlier this year, alleging that he mistreated city workers, officials and members of the public.

The city's Ethics Board recommended not pursing the complaint after Brian Johnson beat Zima in the April election, but the City Council has since asked the panel to take up the complaint.

Zima said he wanted a determination on whether he violated the code of conduct to resolve the allegations.

The City Council enacted the code of conduct in 2015. Zima, who was one of two aldermen to vote against the measure, had ripped up copies of the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence and said he'd ask the attorney general to opine on the policy.

"This whole thing is a joke," Zima said at the time. "It’s an affront to freedom of speech."

The city's Protection and Welfare Committee will discuss Wery's request Monday at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.

RELATED: Misconduct complaint against Guy Zima headed back to Ethics Board