Fort Worth’s mayor and city council members may soon be asking the public to vote on a pay raise that would double the elected officials’ salaries.

At the city council’s work session on Tuesday, Assistant City Attorney Gavin Midgley walked through what could be on a May special election ballot, which includes Proposition G to increase the mayor’s pay from $29,000 to $60,000, and city council members’ pay from $25,000 to $50,000.

“Times are hard and different. And to pay for groceries are increasing. We’re not exempt from that, just because we’re elected officials. We share the same grunt work and the same responsibilities to take care of a family as the next person does,” District 8 City Council Member Chris Nettles told NBC 5.

He said he and his colleagues do their jobs to make the city a better place, often working 60-70 hours a week.

“Just because we do it because we want to make the city better, does not mean we should be limited in the pay that required of our time to do it,” Nettles said.

The mayor was not available for an interview on Wednesday, and a spokesperson for the city declined to comment.

This isn’t the first time Fort Worth city council members have had this discussion; Midgley said similar numbers were presented to voters in 2016, which they rejected.

Then, in 2022, city officials went back to the public to ask for an even bigger bump; nearly $100,000 for the mayor and more than $76,000 for city council members.

It’s still going to be a tough sell for some neighbors, like Whitney Wood Juarez.

“I think it’s a really interesting time for them to be asking for money when we’re seeing the bond program and how they’re putting hardly any money towards affordable housing,” Juarez said. “And… leadership just cut the DEI programs.”

Juarez said while she’s open to the conversation, the move right now seems “a little extreme.”

“And again, like I said, the timeliness of it, when they’re not giving enough money to affordable housing is kind of insulting,” she said.

Nettles said their salaries haven’t increased since 2006.

“I do understand it’s a sacrifice. But I also think that it should come with enough to be able to do the job,” he said.

Nettles said as a business owner, he has another stream of income, but the city salary limits who has the opportunity to run for office.

“It is very slim to none if you cannot afford to live off of 24, 25,000 dollars and work a second job. And take care of a family,” he said.

Nettles said city council is likely to vote to call this special election at their next meeting next Tuesday.

The special election would be on May 2.

How other cities compare

Dallas’ mayor gets $80,000, and city council members $60,000.

Dallas’ voters just rejected a raise for their elected officials in 2024.

In Arlington, a much smaller city, the mayor gets $250 a month, and council representatives get $200 a month.

Austin is a city slightly smaller in population size than Fort Worth, but its city council members are among the highest-paid in the state, according to a report by the Austin-American Statesman this year that looked at salaries through a public information request.

The report found that Austin’s mayor made $151,443 last year.