The City of Saco could ask voters to approve an amendment to the City Charter in November that would provide higher salaries for City Council members, School Board members, and the mayor.

At the first reading of the amendment on Aug. 5, council members discussed recommendations to increase public service salaries. The gave initial approval to the amendment and it would need final approval before asking voters for approval at the November election.

“I’m proud of my city, and I think we should be a leader and set a tone for public service that includes a reasonable level of compensation for the time involved,” Councilor Phil Hatch said.

Currently, the City Charter calls for annual compensation of $3,600 for the mayor, $1,200 for each City Council member, and $1,200 for each School Board.

If the amendment is approved, annual compensation would be increased to $10,000 for the mayor, $5,000 per City Council member, and $2,500 per School Board member.

The charter has not been updated since 2014, Hatch said, and should be updated to reflect the amount of time and effort it takes to sit on a board.

“The position is underpaid for what we’re asking people to put in,” Councilor Nathan Johnston agreed.

Councilor Johnston said the School Board is just as much of a time commitment as the City Council or mayor positions, and members should be compensated fairly.

It’s difficult to find people to run for these offices, Johnston said, and compensation could be a part of that.

“We recently had a School Board member resign,” Johnston said. “It seems more often than not that people don’t finish the terms.”

Saco is currently accepting nomination papers for three City Council positions and four School Board positions to be elected in November. To be on the ballot, candidates must submit 35 signatures from registered voters from their respective wards to the City Clerk’s Office by 1 p.m. Sept. 6. The election will be for council candidates for wards 1, 3 and 6 and School Board candidates for wards 1, 3, 5 and 7. Each are three-year terms.

“I think it’s important that we think about the work that’s involved in sitting on the council, or acting as mayor, or School Board engagement,” Hatch said.

With unanimous approval from the council at the first reading on Aug. 5, the amendment will now go to a final reading on Aug. 26. If approved by the council, residents will be asked to vote on the amendment in the November election.

If voters approve the amendment, the higher salaries will go into effect on Jan.1.