Correct numbers released on Federal Way City Council pay

Federal Way City Council members and its deputy mayor are paid $17,621 per year, much lower than what was reported in an article (“Large pay increases proposed for Kent City Council, mayor”) initially posted Feb. 17 on the Kent Reporter website.

Steve Groom, city of Federal Way finance director, said in a Feb. 23 email to the Kent Reporter that he had provided incorrect information in a Jan. 26 email to Paula Painter, city of Kent finance director.

Kent city staff compiled comparable salaries from Federal Way and five other cities to its Independent Salary Commission. That information was reported in the Feb. 17 Kent Reporter website article, which has since been corrected.

Federal Way Deputy Mayor Susan Honda emailed the Kent Reporter Feb. 22 about the inaccurate numbers in the article.

Groom said he checked the numbers again after a Feb. 22 email from the Kent Reporter questioning the salary figures.

“I asked a different staff person to check and I got a different answer,” Groom said. “When I had the two staff answers reconcile to find out who was right, I got the answer. The figure ($35,244 per year) you got is exactly what I told City of Kent, but I now realize it is incorrect.

“Our council members are part-time and the amount of pay they receive according to our pay register is half of what I had reported initially, because they are a (part-time employee). I’m explaining our error, but I need to own it. …I apologize for my error.”

Painter said she received a Jan. 26 email from Groom that provided the salary figures used by Kent city staff for its report.

Kent’s three-member Independent Salary Commission proposed raising council salaries to $36,000 per year, which would be the highest among the six cities used for comparable salaries. The annual salaries at other cities are Everett ($30,132), Renton ($21,000), Redmond ($18,648), Federal Way ($17,621), Auburn ($17,520) and Marysville ($17,520), according to figures compiled by the city of Kent.

Painter said in a Feb. 23 email that she would provide the correct Federal Way salary figures to the commission.

Kent’s Indepentdent Salary Commission is set to take a final vote on the proposed increases after it receives public comment during a 2 p.m. Monday, March 13 meeting at the Centennial Center, 400 W. Gowe St.