On Thursday, no alderman decided to make a motion that would maintain or deny the 23 percent salary increase next term.

Holtzinger said current economic troubles and the city's budget crunch made it the wrong time to raise the mayor's annual pay from the current $75,304.

Whoever occupies the second-floor City Hall office next year will be paid the $90,000 annual salary approved by the aldermen in January 2008. They also approved an increase to their own salaries to $25,000 from $13,500.

Alderman C. Paul Smith opposed Holtzinger's attempt to keep his salary the same for the next term, defending the increase.

"We're not talking about a 40-hour-a-week job, he basically has to be available 24 hours a day," he said.

Smith said the salaries had been changed a year ago to avoid politicization.

"I'm very sensitive to the politicization of it, which is happening now," he said.

Alderwoman Donna Kuzemchak agreed that changing the salary now would be "playing politics."

Holtzinger said increasing the mayor's salary was not unreasonable, but was not appropriate when the city is going through its own budget crunch.

The $80 million, fiscal 2010 budget remains unbalanced by nearly $1.4 million. Holtzinger already closed a $10.5 million deficit by freezing cost-of-living adjustments for most city employees.

The current deficit, caused by cuts handed down from Frederick County, may force even more decreases to personnel costs, including reduced workweeks and furlough days.

"I think it's reasonable to keep the salary as it is," Holtzinger said. "That's no comment on the salary of the board."

In other business the Board of Aldermen passed the city's property tax rate for fiscal 2010.

Residents will pay 65 cents per $100 of assessable property, the same rate as last year.

However, tax bills will increase for some people because of increased property reassessments. For tax bills to stay the same, the city would have to adopt a constant yield rate, set at 60.6 cents per $100 of assessed value.

"I think we strive to get to the constant yield," Holtzinger said. "Generally it's not realistic, certainly not this year."

The business property tax rate was also set at last year's level of $1.55 per $100 of assessable value.

	DETAILS City of Frederick employee payroll data — — — What do you think the annual salary for the mayor of the City of Frederick should be? Less than $55K $55K to $69K $70K to $84K $85K to $99K $100K or more Not sure Nothing You couldn’t pay anyone enough to do that job!