A currently dormant commission that’s supposed to set elected officials’ salaries may be getting a facelift.

Members of the Oak Harbor City Council are considering re-populating the city’s salary commission, inactive for about a decade. The commission is charged with setting compensation for the mayor and council members.

First, however, officials plan to make some fixes to the current ordinance that governs the commission. The proposal is meant to provide long-term consistency and simplify the process, according to City Administrator Doug Merriman.

Mayor Bob Severns said the idea of reconstituting the commission came up during talks about non-represented staff salaries. City staff is currently working with a consultant on a “compensation and classification study” for those employees.

The outcome would allow the city to either “accelerate” or “decelerate” future compensation changes for non-represented staff, he said.

Severns said he supports the idea of bringing back the salary commission, but not because he expects a big raise.

“I certainly didn’t agree to do this because I wanted them to look at my salary,” he said.

Currently, the mayor earns $51,675 a year, and council members receive $7,404 a year. The elected officials also qualify for the city’s medical insurance plan as individuals, but not their families.

Under the ordinance, the salary commission is made up of citizens appointed by the mayor.

The proposed amendments would cut the number of members from seven to five, increase terms from three to six years and define what constitutes a quorum.

In addition, the amendments would change the residency requirement for the commission. The proposal is to require that three of the members live in city limits while two can live outside of city limits if they own businesses inside the city.

The council is scheduled to consider the proposed amendment at the July 5 meeting.