Lower Merion Politicians Consider 50% Pay Raise For Themselves

LOWER MERION, PA — Lower Merion's Board of Commissioners may soon consider a 50 percent pay raise for themselves with inflation-based salary bumps thereafter.

Each commissioner currently makes $4,000 per year for the elected office. One of the board's committees may recommend that the board increase their pay to $6,000 — their first raise in half a century, according to township documents.

Raises would go into effect after elections for each of the 14 commissioner seats. Half up the seats will be up for election in 2027, and the rest are up for grabs two years later.

Additionally, the commissioners could get cost-of-living raises by late 2029 and in each odd-numbered year thereafter. Those would be calculated through the Consumer Price Index.

Both policies are on the agenda for the township's Governance & Administration Committee's meeting on Wednesday. The committee is one of more than comprised of different commissioners.

The committee can vote to recommend the policies for the Board of Commissioners to consider at future meetings.

Commissioner compensation was set at $4,000 in the mid-1970s, so an increase is long-overdue, according to an issue briefing prepared by Commissioner Maggie Epstein (Ward 11).

Epstein chairs the Governance & Administrative Committee. Commissioners Sean Whalen (Ward 7) and V. Scott Zelov (Ward 10) are vice chairs.

"Commissioners spend considerable time serving the community for compensation that has not been increased in decades," Epstein said. "The Commissioner compensation is really a stipend in large part reimbursement for costs incurred while serving as commissioner."

In 2022, Lower Merion's commissioners voiced strong opposition to a plan increasing their salaries from $4,000 to $10,000, according to Main Line Media News. The plan was withdrawn before the board could vote on it.

Under state law, the commissioners can be paid up to $13,363 per year.

Commissioner committee meetings are set for 6 p.m. Wednesday in the Township Administration Building (75 E Lancaster Ave., Ardmore; second-floor board room).

Here's the schedule:

• 6 p.m.: Finance Committee
• 6:20 p.m.: Sustainability Committee
• 6:45 p.m.: Governance & Administration Committee

All committee start times are estimates. Click here for meeting agendas.