Elected leaders in Aurora are set to decide Monday whether to ask voters for a substantial boost in pay — the City Council’s first request for higher compensation in nearly eight years.

If voters approved the raises in November, pay for council members and the mayor would jump far more than it did in 2018, when the last change took effect. Mayor Mike Coffman’s salary, now about $98,500, would rise by 52% to more than $150,000 annually. Most council members would see their pay more than triple, from about $22,700 to around $75,000.

The raises — about which some city officials are skeptical, including Coffman — would go into effect Jan. 1.

City Attorney Peter Schulte said the request for bigger paychecks did not come from anyone on the council but came from him and City Manager Jason Batchelor. With Aurora on the cusp of ranking in the top 50 most populous U.S. cities — it now comes in 51st, according to 2024 census estimates — Schulte said council hopefuls should “be able to afford to run for office.”

“We are a big city with big-city issues,” he said, noting that the job can easily demand 40 hours or more of work a week. “It’s not just the (council) meeting twice a month.”

Coffman said he puts about 60 hours a week into his job as mayor of the city of 403,000 — Colorado’s third-largest.

“In addition to meetings on weekdays, I often have scheduled meetings and events on nights and weekends,” the mayor said last week. “This Saturday, I will be doing a 10-hour shift (ride-along) with an (Aurora) patrol officer from 6:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Even when I’m at home, I’m reading reports and answering emails.”

Under the city’s charter, the top position in Aurora is considered full time, while the council seats are considered part-time roles. If the salaries measure is sent to the November ballot, voters would decide on it while also considering candidates for five council seats that are up this year.

In 2017, city voters approved the last major changes to city officials’ salaries, setting them at $80,000 for the mayor and $18,550 for council members. Since then, they’ve received cost-of-living raises, putting Coffman’s salary closer to $100,000 now. But he doesn’t want another big pay boost.