"I have decided not to take the COLA," Novick wrote to reporters, referring to the city's cost of living adjustment. "At least until the voters have had a chance to give me my evaluation next year!"
That evaluation is still in progress. Novick led all candidates in last week's primary election for his seat, but didn't secure a majority of votes, which would have made him the outright winner (he had 42.7 percent of votes at latest count). He'll face bookseller Chloe Eudaly, who got 15 percent of votes, in November.
At the same time, Novick's refusal to accept COLA increases again and again means he's left significant money on the table. He's making a $103,521, the Oregonian reported last year. Commissioners' salaries were raised today to $114,254.
Novick's given a variety of reasons for turning down a raise since he took office in 2013—including a serious budget deficit inflicting cuts on the city that year. But Portland's just passed maybe its plushest budget ever, with more than $500 million in general fund allocations, and tens of millions in new money put toward the housing crisis.
So will Novick finally take a raise? (It's an all-or-nothing prospect—he can't take just part of it.) It's not clear.
Novick is out of town until June 8, says Chris Warner, his chief of staff. "My understanding is it will get figured out when he returns."
Other commissioners don't have Novick's compunction. During a perfunctory vote this morning to increase employee pay by 1 percent, Commissioner Nick Fish noted he'd put off the bump in leaner years. But he suggested his acceptance of this year's COLA this year will be more than offset because his office plans to return 5 percent of its budget to the general fund.
And Commissioner Amanda Fritz—like Novick last year—tied last Tuesday's primary election to her willingness to take a raise.
"I'm very grateful to the voters for telling me I deserve to have this job," Fritz said.
"At twice the price," said Mayor Charlie Hales, whose pay will be roughly $135,678 come July 1, up from 134,323.
The total cost of the pay bump, across all affected employees, is $1,624,000. Commissioners have until the end of June to decide whether to accept or reject the raise.
