Lehi City Council members gave themselves a raise on Tuesday, one similar to a raise voted in more than three years ago but was never enacted.

They decided not to give themselves a monthly travel stipend recommended by an ad hoc committee.

At least two Council members said they were "offended" by public comments protesting the raise. No one but the mayor spoke strongly in favor of the raise.

"I will not apologize for asking for a fair [raise] for the elected officials of this city," said Mayor Howard Johnson, his voice rising. "If we don't get it we will go on doing the work but I am not sure it is fair on your part to ask them to, and with that I will shut up. ... I stand offended that what we can do for our employees we cannot do for ourselves."

In a public hearing on the issue, three residents stood to decry the raise, though one later stood again to apologize after hearing the Council's offense at the comments.

Two members of the public said they had to be "peeled from the ceiling" upon reading about the proposed raise. Struggling in a difficult economy, residents should not have to pay more for the Council, resident Mark Ellis said.

Former arts council director Bev Wilson said many residents volunteer on city committees, spending many hours with no compensation and even little thanks, and said the Arts Council needs the money more than the Council members need it. She later apologized to the Council after she found the Council had increased spending on the arts contrary to what she initially thought.

She then defended the raise as an amount that was "peanuts" compared to the city budget.

The raises had been recommended by a committee of former Council members. They said there would never be a good time for a Council raise, and they would never be able to please everyone.

"We should not get rich in this position but we should not have to get rid of vacation time and have to take a second job to make up for it," said Councilman Johnny Barnes. "I am not embarrassed by it [the raise]," Barnes said at least four times. Revill added he was not embarrassed by the raise but he was fine without it, too.

Councilman Johnson said he was offended because the media reported the Council was considering a raise, but does not report when the Council does not give themselves raises.

"It's a little curious to me that the sacrifices get so little notoriety," he said. Councilman Stephen Holbrook acknowledged that the raise becomes self-fulfilling, saying other cities will eventually raise their Council stipends because Lehi and other cities have raised theirs, forcing Lehi to come back later and raise theirs yet again.

"This puts us in the middle and in a couple of years we'll be back at the bottom," he said of Tuesday's proposal.

Council members need to be paid enough to ensure they work hard, said Councilman James Dixon.

"We need people here who will make the best effort to do the research," he said. "That is not necessarily something that should be done for free. We can make or lose $100,000 by negligence."

Council members should not have to "pay through the nose" to serve on the Council, Mayor Johnson said.

"In the past four and five years this city has treated their employees very well and I stand offended when this city says it can't do the same for those who serve otherwise, especially politically," Mayor Johnson said.

He said he didn't need the raise, or even his current salary.

"If I did this for nothing, it wouldn't hurt me," he said.

Holbrook told those in the audience who thought the raise was "big bucks" that he would support each of them should choose to run for City Council next election.