Hood River City Councilors approved significantly raising compensation for Councilors and the Mayor as a way of encouraging more people to feel like they can seek election to the panel and create more diversity on it.  The Council approved a resolution putting financial compensation at ten percent of Hood River County’s Area Median Income for Councilors, and twenty percent for the Mayor.  Based on 2023 statistics, Councilors’ pay would go from $50 to $742 a month, and the Mayor from $100 to $1483 a month.  The new pay schedule would not go into effect until each Council position was up for election or an appointment was made to a vacated seat, so no current members are receiving an immediate bump in compensation.  Mayor Paul Blackburn says the goal is to get a more diverse pool of candidates.  When the resolution fully takes effect in 2027, the impact on the general fund will be approximately $72,000.