Information Central

Compensation

Compensation differs between city officers (elected officials) and employees (appointed or otherwise hired). Officers such as mayors and legislators are constitutionally limited in their salary. These limits may be modified based on cost-of-living adjustments, which are not considered as compensation. The amount of compensation must be set by ordinance and cannot be changed during the elected official's term in office.

Nonelected city officials are not subject to monetary or temporal pay limits, but they must be compensated through a personnel and pay classification plan. This plan must be adopted by ordinance, and its structure is largely dependent on the needs of the city. The executive authority of the city oversees any position or pay adjustments made in accordance with the employee’s corresponding compensation plan.

 

Resources

• 2024 Wage and Salary Survey (link)
• KLC Research Report: Today's Kentucky City - A Comprehensive Analysis of City Operations (link)
• Kentucky Workplace Posters (link)
• U.S. Department of Labor Workplace Posters (link)
• KLC Legal FAQ: When and how is compensation determined? (link)
• Chapter 9 of the KLC City Officials Legal Handbook (link)
• KRS 83A.070 (PDF)