After some infighting, Cedar Hills City Council members have approved a raise for themselves.

In a recent split vote, council members increased their monthly stipends to $300 a month, up from $200. The mayor went to $750 a month, an increase of $250.

Council members said the raises were justified because of the time required by the job and because the stipends were among the lowest paid around the valley by other cities.

The raises were approved 3-2, with Councilman Jim Perry and Councilman Eric Richardson dissenting.

But this raise almost did not happen, as was the case only a few years ago when a previous council refused to raise their stipends.

Mayor Mike McGee said the raise was needed because of the many hours he puts in each month.

"This is like another full-time job," he said.

He told council members that he did more work each month than all them combined, a comment which council members said was not true and upsetting. They questioned whether the mayor's stipend should be raised more than their own.

Perry said he was against raising the stipends any more than $100 because he felt it wasn't "the best use of the residents' money."

"I believe it's a sacred trust to do the best we can with the taxpayers' money," he said. "I'm just not convinced this is the best use of that money."

Richardson said that although he agreed that the time had come for this discussion, he didn't feel comfortable with the issue.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D1.