The New York City Council is advancing a bill to form a three-person Quadrennial Commission to review whether pay raises are warranted for city officials, including the mayor and other elected leaders, with meetings set every four years.

The council voted to open a formal process for potential pay increases by creating the commission, as approved on a Tuesday.

The commission will assess raises for the mayor, public advocate, comptroller, borough presidents, council members, and district attorneys, following the city charter’s Quadrennial Commission framework.

In a related move, the City Council released a report proposing the elimination of certain vacant city jobs to help close the deficit and outlined several cost-cutting and revenue-raising ideas.

The discussion comes amid a projected large NYC budget gap, with Mayor Zohran Mamdani signaling possible property tax increases if state action isn’t taken.

Int. 502B, sponsored by Deputy Council Speaker Dr. Nantasha Williams, would require the commission to issue recommendations within 75 days of convening, after which the mayor could approve, disapprove, or modify them.

Earlier versions of the bill proposed a 16% pay raise for council members to $172,500, but that plan was not finalized and faced opposition.

The push for raises is set against a backdrop of a significant city budget gap, with the mayor indicating he would not take a pay raise himself.

Historically, no pay raises for elected officials occurred for more than a decade because past mayors did not convene the Quadrennial Commission for two consecutive terms.

Deputy Council Speaker Nantasha Williams, the bill’s sponsor, says the measure establishes a transparent, charter-m mandated process for periodic compensation reviews, the last full review having occurred in 2016.

The bill requires Mayor Mamdani to appoint the three commission members within 45 days, with the commission then given 75 days to study and issue recommendations to the mayor and council.

Overall, this salary-raise discussion sits within broader debates over budget pressures and fiscal policy in New York City.