Civic Assembly proposes big bump to Lexington council pay. Here’s what’s next

The first-ever Lexington Civic Assembly has recommended an increase in city council pay and a regular review of the city’s charter, its guiding document.

The 36-member, randomly-selected Civic Assembly has spent more than a month studying and reviewing council compensation and when and how to review the charter. The issue of council pay and charter review were selected by more than 870 survey respondents.

On Sunday, March 29, the group concluded its work and made the following recommendations:

• Council compensation: Increase council member pay to $59,987 a year, the average annual wage in Lexington according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 15-member council makes just shy of $40,000. Every year the amount would change according to the Consumer Price Index, which is a measure of inflation. If approved by council and voters, the increase in pay would take effect in 2031. That would translate to a roughly 50% increase in pay.
• Charter review: The city’s charter would be reviewed every eight years, with the review subject to a time limit and a public input requirement. A standing committee of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government would advise and form a commission of 36 Lexington residents, selected by a representative lottery.
• Accountability: The assembly also advanced a recommendation the charter be amended to mandate that council creates publicly viewable attendance and accountability expectations for the Urban County Council. Recommendations for these expectations will be presented to council at an upcoming committee meeting.

Council pay, attendance becomes an issue

The group was convened by Civic Lex, a nonprofit civics education and advocacy group. Civic assemblies have been used across the country and in other countries to tackle thorny policy issues.

The issue of how much council is paid has been brewing for years but recently came to a head after multiple council members announced in 2025 they were not running for reelection. Many cited council pay as a reason why they would not run for office again.

The position is part-time but many outgoing council members said they sometimes work more than 40 hours a week on council business.

However, some council members have spotty council attendance records, a Lexington Herald-Leader 2024 review of attendance records showed. In 2023, four council members missed more than 10 meetings, the analysis showed. There is currently no easy way to track attendance records of council members. The Herald-Leader review was conducted using council meeting documents and minutes.

The city currently has no set procedure to review its charter. The Civic Assembly’s recommendation would make a review automatic after eight years.

What’s next for recommendations?

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council has agreed to consider the Civic Assembly’s recommendations and can vote to approve or deny them.

If the council approves either recommendations, voters would then get to weigh in on the changes in a local referendum.

It’s not clear when the council will debate the recommendations.

Beth Musgrave

Lexington Herald-Leader

Beth Musgrave has covered government and politics for the Herald-Leader for more than a decade. A graduate of Northwestern University, she has worked as a reporter in Kentucky, Indiana, Mississippi, Illinois and Washington D.C. Support my work with a digital subscription