Lexington council members cite pay while opting out of reelection. Should it increase?
Jennifer Reynolds was the first of three Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council members to announce she would not seek reelection this year, at least in part, due to the role’s pay and demanding schedule.
Reynolds, who has represented the 11th District’s Versailles Road neighborhoods since 2018, works around 70 hours a week between council meetings, drafting ordinances and attending neighborhood gatherings and community events.
“We had a week recently where I worked 12- to 14-hour days every day,” Reynolds told the Herald-Leader. “Between meetings that I had in my office, official meetings and neighborhood meetings, and then one day that we had a six-hour zone change hearing — I was doing council stuff from 8 a.m. until 11 p.m.”
On top of her council work, she’s employed as a medical interpreter for Spanish-speaking patients at various hospitals and clinics. She’s rotated between different second jobs during her time on the council, but other than her first term, there‘s not been a time when she could rely on her council salary alone.
Lexington council members make $41,124 a year. The vice mayor makes $45,027. That’s low in a city with an average income of just less than $60,000 a year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
It’s also low for Lexington city government, where the average salary for employees is $62,144, or around $29.87 hourly. The lowest hourly wage for any LFUCG position is $15.
The long work hours across different jobs have taken a toll on Reynolds’ personal life. She would love to be home more on the evenings and weekends to spend time with her young son. Instead, given the unpredictable length of meetings and other commitments, she has to rely on her mother and friends to help with child care.
“I’ve loved being on council. It’s been my favorite thing that I’ve ever had the opportunity to do,” Reynolds said, “but it’s just not sustainable for me long term.”
Lexington council pay proves to be a sore spot
Reynolds is not alone. Two of her colleagues, 3rd District Council member Hannah LeGris and 5th District Council member Liz Sheehan, have mentioned compensation played a role in their decision not to run for reelection this year.
LeGris maintained several jobs over the course of her council tenure, while Sheehan is a faculty member in the University of Kentucky’s psychology department.
“What I wanted to do was create a situation where I could engage as fully as possible with that work of elected office, while also generating some additional financial stability for myself,” LeGris said of her decision not to run. “But I also need to turn toward the future and think about what impact looks like and what putting my values into practice looks like.”
That might look like taking a new, higher-paying role with the city. LeGris has resigned the council to become the city’s accessibility and engagement officer with an annual salary of $90,000.
Sheehan took a wide view on the issue.
“When financial constraints help to determine who can hold elected office, our Council cannot fully represent the people it’s meant to serve. This discussion is not just about salaries; it’s about supporting representative democracy,” she said in her December announcement.
Others agree. Because the role’s pay is not sustainable for many, there’s an alliterative maxim to describe the type of people who are able to serve, Vice Mayor Dan Wu said: rich, retired or realtor.
“I would add attorney to that,” Wu noted.
The high earnings and schedule flexibility associated with those careers make it easier, but since 2022, Lexington’s council members have increasingly branched out from those categories. The demographics of council have also changed to include more people of color, women, younger residents and those with careers in the service, education or health care — industries that prop up the city’s economy.
“You have younger people (on council), you have people with children,” Wu said. “In my mind, that’s a good thing, because you’re bringing in different people from different backgrounds.”
But with the nature of the job, Wu fears the recent diversity in the council could just be an anomalous blip.
Tyler Morton, who represents the 1st District, made history in 2024 as the youngest person elected to a seat at 26. He says the role is a trade-off for working people.
“Can you work your full-time job and do (council) duties?” Morton asked. “Can you work based off the pay of $40,000 a year and take care of a family, if you have kids, if you have a household mortgage, all the different things that you’re taking care of? Most likely not.”
Morton works 50 to 60 hours a week in his council role and picks up shifts as an anesthesia technician at UK HealthCare whenever he has time. He’s honored to be a council member, but acknowledges choosing to do so means he is putting off life milestones.
“(Building) a family, trying to get into that American dream life … at this moment in time, those things are delayed,” Morton said.
How is council pay determined in Fayette County?
When the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government merger was approved by voters in 1972, the city’s charter limited pay for council members at $6,000 per year. Because it’s set in the charter, the council has little room to change its salary, even as the role shifts and the cost of living rises.
Amendments to the charter must be approved by nine of the 15 council members. They are then voted on by Lexington voters in the next general election.
The council has made some changes to its salary without amending the charter, however. A 1997 ordinance allows members to earn today’s equivalent to 1972’s $6,000. In 2025, that came out to $45,027, now the vice mayor’s salary. All other council members can only earn 90% of the vice mayor’s earnings, or $41,124.
Because that original $6,000 is tied to the charter, there’s no way for the council to raise its salary with an ordinance. The only option is a charter amendment.
“We can’t change it ourselves. And I’m glad we can’t change it ourselves,” Wu said. “It feels very self-serving, right? From a messaging point of view, it’s not always an easy sell. But I’ve had so many conversations with constituents where they bring this issue up unprompted ... And some people, when they find out how much we would make, they say ‘You all don’t make enough money for the work that you do.’ So I think people are thinking about it.”
What’s the appetite for increasing Lexington city council pay?
Reynolds argues increasing council salaries does not necessarily mean the role would become a lucrative career.
“I think people say, ‘Well, what if you make it a full-time pay, and then people are just running to make money?’ Well, what if you keep it part-time, and then you just have wealthy or retired people running?” Reynolds noted. “You could run the risk of only having the same type of person on council.”
Wu agrees.
“I think there’s a big difference between making a living wage and getting rich off of what we do. I don’t think anybody on council wants to make $200,000 for what we’re doing,” the vice mayor said.
When asked what council members should make, Wu and Morton declined to name a specific number.
“I just know that $40,000 a year or $45,000 a year, it does force you to have to work second jobs,” Wu said.
Reynolds thinks council members should probably make at least what their aides make. Every council member has a legislative aide who works with them to draft ordinances and help with constituent services. Those aides make around $70,000 a year.
Lexington’s mayor also makes far more than council members, at $187,612.94 annually. While a larger city, Louisville Metro Council members make $58,207.85 annually.
Council member Amy Beasley, who has represented Lexington’s 8th District since 2024, works between 35 and 40 hours each week as a pharmacy technician. By 1 p.m. most days, she’s at city hall, where she can work another eight hours, depending on the day.
Beasley hasn’t taken a position on whether council pay should be higher.
“There are a lot of people working in this building who aren’t paid as much as council members,” Beasley said, referring to the city government center. “People are having to choose between paying their rent or getting their children’s medications.”
While there doesn’t seem to be a plan for the council to initiate a charter amendment, Reynolds says the question of pay will ultimately determine what kind of representation residents have.
“If it was really just 20 or 25 hours a week that was demanded of us, I think we’d all be fine with part-time pay,” Reynolds said, “but that’s not what the community is demanding. If they want [council members working fewer hours], then they shouldn’t be surprised if we don’t show up for some meetings, or we don’t go to any community meetings, or we don’t go to any events. So I think people need to ask what, what do they really want?”
