Alpine Mayor Hunt Willoughby has asked City Council members to privately let him know what they think about giving him and themselves a raise. Then he'll compile the information and decide how to proceed.

The council discussed the possibility of the salary increase and benefits at its meeting Tuesday night.

The mayor is paid $9,600 annually and has a monthly cell phone allowance. The city council members are paid $4,800 annually.

"The current amount barely covers the cost of what our actual expenses are," said Councilman Tracy Wallace. "Obviously we're pretty low compared to a lot of the other cities."

The Eagle Mountain mayor's salary is $70,000, but is a full-time job as opposed to the part-time hours that Alpine's mayor puts in.

"We should all run for mayor of Eagle Mountain," Willoughby joked.

Alpine officials aren't the lowest paid in the area, though. Cedar Hills's mayor makes $9,000 and the council members there make $3,600. The Lehi City Council has also been talking about salary increases, said Councilman Jim Tracy.

With five City Council members and a mayor in Alpine, adding medical and dental benefits would add approximately $72,000 to the city's bottom line.

"Alpine has always been more of a volunteer job," Councilwoman Kimberly Bryant said. When someone decides to run, it should be from a desire to serve the city instead of for pay, she added.

"The motivation to run comes from a desire to serve," Willoughby said, while trying to mediate the discussion. "It's a little awkward to talk about, but it needs to be done."

"I think the possibility of a salary cost-of-living increase is fair and we should discuss it while we are doing the budget next year," Councilman Tom Whitchurch said. The council should also explore the possibility of having benefits instead of being paid, he said.

When the mayor asked for the members to send him their thoughts on the subject, Bryant and Whitchurch stated that they were comfortable with the current salaries.