The Newport city council voted 6-1 Monday night to pay themselves a monthly $300 stipend and get free access to the city’s recreation center. The total cost of stipends for the six councilors and the mayor is $25,200 a year. (Shayla Escudero/Lincoln Chronicle)By SHAYLA ESCUDERO/Lincoln Chronicle
NEWPORT – The mayor of Newport and six city council members will be paid a $300 monthly stipend and receive a recreation center membership starting next year.
For the past three years, the council has mulled how – and if it should – compensate councilors by giving free memberships to the recreation center to providing health insurance. In 2023, the council voted to form a work group consisting of four former council members, two budget committee members and five at-large members.
The group met in 2025 and many members questioned whether compensation should be provided and advocated for keeping council positions as unpaid, volunteer work. This year, the topic was brought up again during an April work session where councilors directed staff to look at two options – cash stipends and insurance coverage.
In 2020, the League of Oregon Cities conducted a survey on the compensation of elected officials. Of the 241 cities in Oregon 84 responded. A quarter said they paid council members a monthly stipend and 5 percent paid health insurance.
The 2025 Legislature passed Senate Bill 983, allowing public officials to discuss and vote on their own compensation packages – but first having to declare a conflict of interest.
Health insurance coverage would cost the city between $60,000 and $178,000 with a portion of the costs still needing to be covered by council members. A stipend of $100 a month would cost the city $8,400 a year and $200 a month would add up to $16,800 a year.
On Monday, councilors discussed using a stipend for a variety of different uses from child to pet care.
Some council members saw the move as a way to attract younger people and less affluent residents to the role.
“You always want to have different ideas coming in … new ways of looking at everything, new new perspectives that could potentially, hopefully make the city run even better,” said Councilor Angel Aparicio-Reyes.
Councilor Cynthia Jacobi suggested that they consider a $300 monthly stipend to make it more “meaningful” to cover costs like pet or child care. This would bring the total cost of compensation for the six councilors and the mayor to $25,200 a year.
Councilor Sandy Romagoux said that she would not be voting in favor of compensation because it went against her philosophy of being a volunteer.
After declaring conflicts of interest, city council passed a resolution 6-1 to allow the mayor and councilors to receive a $300 monthly stipend and recreation center membership effective Jan. 1.
- Shayla Escudero covers Lincoln County government, education, Newport, housing and social services for Lincoln Chronicle and can be reached at [email protected]
Another issue that should have been voted on by the taxpayers, as it is their money. Can the Public Works Department now vote themselves a raise, including pet, and child care?