PEABODY — The City Council approved a 3% pay raise for Mayor Ted Bettencourt Thursday night.
Bettencourt will now make $146,260 a year, up from a salary of $142,000. The council, which reviews the mayor’s salary each year, last approved a raise for him in early 2025, which was 2.7%.
This latest raise also bumps city councilors’ salaries from $12,780 to just over $13,100, as they make 9% of the mayor’s salary under city ordinance.
This raise was given to reflect the 3% salary increase all union and non-union personnel received in Peabody’s municipal departments last year, Councilor at-Large Jon Turco said Thursday.
Councilors voted 8-2 for the increase, with Councilor at-Large Tom Rossignoll absent and Councilors at-Large Jaclyn Corriveau and Anne Manning-Martin voting against the raise.
“The state budget keeps going up with less and less returning to cities and towns for local aid,” Manning-Martin told The Salem News Tuesday. “We need to stop spending and look at where we can cut, not give out automatic salary bumps. Doing so in this financial climate I felt lacked awareness to the financial struggles many residents are facing.”
Corriveau did not return a request for comment Tuesday.
Contact Caroline Enos at CEnos@northofboston.com.