Yesterday, the D.C. Council decided to table emergency legislation to hike their own salaries, already the second-highest in the nation. In the discussion of the bill, first introduced by Chairman Linda Cropp at the urging of D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams, the margin of pay increases slowly declined as the hours elapsed, a likely response to public criticism of the proposals.

The first move, which came in response to criticism of a proposed 51 percent pay increase from their current $92,000 yearly take, was made by Vincent Orange. The Ward 5 council-member offered to lower the salary jump from $140,000 to $122,530. Not to be out-done in the category of “leaping from the sinking ship,” At-Large member Phil Mendelson suggested going down a step further, to $115,000. Had the bill been discussed any further, council-members would be working as volunteers.

Ultimately, concerns of several members lead the council to postpone further discussion until at least December 5. This will give them time to consider the various proposals to create a salary review board with the hope of avoiding the reverse bidding war of Tuesday. Council-member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) told WJLA he was “uncomfortable” making decisions about his own pay.

So, wither the future of pay hikes? In the next month the council faces several challenges. This week was the first time local news really focused on the proposal, so public interest in keeping their representatives out of the honey pot may rise. There’s also the issue of a pesky federal law that stops council-members who weren’t up for re-election this year from cashing in on any raises. With all the crises in other areas of the D.C. budget, it seems clear that the legislation won’t be the cake-walk many council members might have expected.

Photo by Flickr user truenotes