The Leawood mayor and city councilmembers voted to give themselves their first pay raise in nine years, approving base pay increases of 36.4% and 50% since 2018 for the councilmembers and mayor respectively.
The city council also approved increases in yearly allowances for mileage and technology, and it directed staff to bring back a health insurance bid that includes members of the governing body who could opt in. Members who opt in would then pay 100% of the negotiated premium.
Councilmembers acknowledged the difficulty of taking on their own compensation, but many noted that their pay hasn’t gone up since 2018, despite an increasing workload.
“It’s not easy, as you all may know, to suggest that you give yourself a raise,” said Councilmember Lisa Harrison. “It’s an awkward conversation.”
But, she went on, “I think everybody understands we’re not in this for the money.”
Mayor Marc Elkins said the city council has spent extra time in meetings tackling the city’s big issues.
The elected positions are considered part-time jobs, but members may put in hours of work outside of regular meeting times when issues come up. During the past year or two, the council has worked on pedestrian and street safety, street infrastructure, planning the 135th Street corridor and the park at the old city hall and fire station buildings.
The governing body’s compensation changes break down this way:
Mayor
- Base annual salary raised from $20,000 to $30,000
- Annual allowances for mileage and technology raised from $7,200 to $9,600
City Council members
- Base annual salary raises from $11,000 to $15,000
- Mileage and technology annual allowance from $4,200 to $5,670
The councilmembers would also be allowed the option to partake in the city’s group health insurance plan, but would pay the full premium rate. The city council also voted to have future salary adjustments done as part of the annual budget process.
Increasing the salary of elected positions has typically been difficult for elected officials, but officials in some jurisdictions have been more open to it in recent years. Johnson County Commissioners raised their pay in 2024 for the first time in 13 years and built in an automatic 1.5 % yearly increase and a mechanism for a resident committee to review their pay every four years.
The Kansas Legislature also gave themselves a 93% pay raise two years ago and voted to preserve a 4.4 % raise during the 2026 session.
“None of us ran … because of the money”
One of the main arguments to increase among elected officials has been that the continued low pay creates a financial burden for all but the wealthy and a time burden for people who have jobs. Councilmembers Sherrie Gayed and Rachel Rubin said the increase could eliminate a barrier to someone who is considering running for office. As for the value of the council’s work, “I feel like we’re more than earning our keep here,” Rubin said.
The increases approved at the September 8 meeting were a change from what was included in the 2027 budget that was voted on earlier at the same meeting. The budget proposal included smaller increases, moving the annual base pay for councilmembers just $400 higher, to $11,441. The proposal for the mayor’s salary was for a $6,393 increase, to $26,400.
But in a memo to the council and staff, Councilmember Matt Peppes suggested the smaller increase did not do enough to account for the inflation that has happened since 2018.
“None of us ran for city council because of the money,” he wrote, but “At the same time, public service does not have to mean that compensation remains almost completely disconnected from the time, responsibility and personal cost involved in serving.”
Comparing with other cities
Peppes cited numbers from the Consumer Price Index for this part of the country showing price increases of about 34.9 % from January 2018 to June 2026.
He also noted 2024 salaries for councilmembers in other Johnson County cities were higher with a base salary of $12,475 in Lenexa, $12,800 in Overland Park and $15,429 in Olathe.
A check by the Post showed current annual pay for the county’s larger cities:
Lenexa — Mayor base pay $27,229, allowances $3,640; councilmembers $13,631 base pay, allowances $1,638.
Olathe — Mayor base pay $32,641, allowances $7,930; Mayor pro tem base pay $19,585, allowances $6,760; councilmembers $16,320 base pay, allowances $5,460
Overland Park — Mayor base pay $50,000, allowances $700; council president and committee chairs $18,900 base pay, allowances $250; councilmembers $16,800 base pay, allowances $250.
Shawnee — Mayor base pay $16,272, car and cell phone allowances $6,206; councilmembers $9,615 base pay, plus access to a city-provided iPad.
“Our residents expect excellent streets, parks, public safety, planning, responsiveness and decision making,” Peppes wrote. If the expectations placed on Leawood and its elected leadership are near the top, I think it is reasonable to discuss whether city council compensation should also be positioned closer to the top of the comparable market rather than directly in the middle.”
Although the city’s 2027 budget was set earlier in the meeting, the compensation changes would have a small enough impact over total spending that they can be handled through a $750,000 contingency fund, said City Administrator Diane Stoddard.
The council approved the changes in three votes – one procedural vote on the process to make the change, one to set the amounts and a third to direct staff to include elected officials in the negotiations for health care coverage.
All votes were unanimous, with Councilmember Steven Kaster absent. Those voting in favor were Councilmembers Rubin, Harrison, Peppes, Gayed, Mary Larson, Julie Cain and Alan Sunkel.
