Cedar Hills council members are considering spending $72,000 to give themselves health, dental and other benefits that full-time city employees now enjoy.

"Other cities offer the ability to have benefits," he said.

Council members took no action but said they would discuss the subject again in the future. Council members are now paid $300 a month. The mayor is paid $750 a month.

Richardson said city staff had determined it would cost the city $72,000 a year if all the council members opted in for the benefits.

"The more I talk to other cities, I realize how far out in left field we've been on that and it affects our ability to do the job," Richardson said.

Councilman Ken Kirk said he was not sure providing insurance would make the difference between someone being able to serve as a council member or not.

Richardson said a new economic reality is looming.

"If you are going to take time off work to attend board meetings and city meetings, you either have to be a self-employed person or a retired person or a fabulously wealthy person who has the job flexibility to make it up to their family with other hours," Richardson said.

He said he had recently taken three hours off work to meet with the city manager on city issues, Richardson said.

"I talk to people about running for council and they say 'no way, not for a couple hundred dollars' " a month, he said. "I get worried when I hear more and more people say 'no way, I will not do that.' "

That said, Richardson said he still believes people don't run for council positions for the money.

Mayor Mike McGee said everyone on the existing council already has insurance.

"I'm not all that excited about this from my personal perspective," McGee said. "I do think Eric's argument has some merit. The point is there may be some in the future who it may be a benefit to."

McGee suggested the city consider giving council members more money that they could then use toward insurance if they wanted or just as more take-home income.

"Here is an added pay level, you do with it what you want," he said as an example. He added that Cedar Hills "is the lowest in the county now with mayor and council pay."

"I think it degrades us as a city," said Councilwoman Charelle Bowman. "I would actually like the entertainment of someone saying the current salary for the mayor and council is too high."

Bowman said she is not planning to run again for office and would like to vote on a council pay raise before she leaves office.

Richardson said he has voted down council pay increases in the past because "I did not feel like that at all impacted the people willing to do the position," he said. "Next year we will have two council and a mayor position open and I don't know who will run again and right now I don't know people who are willing to do it. ... That is sad to me. It has really impacted my position" on the issue.

Residents should not have to make a financial sacrifice to serve on the City Council, Richardson said. He also said he is opposed to the council giving itself raises simply based on surveys of what other cities make, and "I have the best insurance plan in the world so that is not where this is coming from."

McGee suggested the council consider doubling the salaries instead of making benefits available to those on the council who might want them.

Kirk said the discussion had "an appearance of wrong-doing. If you are going to give benefits then put it in the salary and let everyone know you got a raise."