Taylor voters repeal council's pay raise, set new compensation rate in city charter

Taylor voters reject city council pay raise

Taylor residents took a historic vote to undo the city council's decision to give themselves a massive pay raise.

TAYLOR, Texas - During Saturday’s election, voters in Taylor made a historic decision to repeal the council's pay raise.

In the fall of 2023, the council voted 3 to 2 to raise their pay from $25 a meeting to $500 for council members and $750 for the mayor twice a month.

Those figures were several times higher than the $125 that a citizen committee had proposed.

Shortly after, Taylor resident Terry Burris organized a petition, which landed a repeal of the pay raise on the ballot this May.

It passed overwhelmingly, garnering more than 75 percent of the vote.

"I was proud of what our team did on that petition," said Burris.

Williamson County votes on big ticket items

Voters in Williamson County voted on Saturday on some key issues, including building new schools in Georgetown ISD and deciding the pay of council members in Taylor.

But pay won't go back to $25 a meeting.

Another petition, by Gary Gola, ended up in the hands of voters on Saturday too.

Voters approved changing compensation to $125, which is what the committee had proposed in the first place.

"We're feeling really good that the voters turned out and helped us pass all these propositions, especially the one that sets the council compensation pay within our city charter, so if they ever want to change it again they have to get voter approval," said Gola.

Gola's petition also proposed several other changes to the city charter, all of which passed.

"This is the first time in the history of Taylor that a citizen-led group has put together a petition to change our charter," said Gola.

The city council is now required to wait 72 hours before adopting a non-emergency ordinance, only hold meetings in city limits, and designate the council member elected for the at-large position as mayor.

"They know now that if the right team gets behind something that it'll happen again," said Burris.

The city council has ten days to approve and finalize the votes.

Organizers expect that will happen. However, there is a debate about when the at-large council member will begin to serve as Mayor.

Gola said he thinks it should be as soon as the council approves the votes, but said city council members expressed a desire to start the mayoral term when the next council election happens in 2026.

"I think it does send a message that the council understands that they need to listen to the citizens of our town," said Gola.

The City of Taylor said it did not have a comment at this time.