EASTHAMPTON – The City Council on Wednesday will hold a public hearing before voting on proposed salary increases for councilors and School Committee members.

The council is set to vote on a $1,000 increase, or 33 percent, for the salary of its members – from $3,000 to $4,000 and an increase of $500, or 55 percent, for School Committee members – from $900 to $1,400.

If approved, the raises would go into effect for the term beginning 2018, after the 2017 city election.

The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Municipal Building.

The council and school board salaries were last increased in 2006 when the council voted to increase School Committee stipends from $450 to $900 and City Council stipends from $1,500 to $3,000.

According to the city charter, the council is required to review the compensation of elected officials, boards and committees during the first year of each term.

The council in 2014 voted to increase the mayor’s salary. Finance Subcommittee Chairman Daniel D. Rist said the council decided to seriously consider the School Committee and City Council raises during this review.

He said though councilors do not serve for the money, a review of the salaries in other communities revealed that Easthampton is at the lower end of compensation.

In Agawam, councilors earn $10,000 per year with the council president receiving $12,000. School Committee members earn $5,000 per year.

In Northampton, the City Council president earns $10,000, at-large councilors are paid $9,500 and ward councilors $9,000. School Committee members earn $5,500. Members of the council and school board are also eligible for municipal health insurance and retirement plans.

Rist said it is hard to compare Easthampton with its population of 13,000 to other cities because most are larger. But both the School Committee and City Council have important responsibilities to the community, regardless of how many people live there, he said.

“We weren’t going to go to $9,000 like Northampton,” Rist said. “We felt that a minor raise was OK at this time.”

Additionally, Rist said that the city’s favorable budget situation was a factor in considering the raises.

The budget for the fiscal year beginning Friday allows for the hiring of 11 personnel, including six school staffers, a police officer and a firefighter.

Chris Lindahl can be reached at clindahl@gazettenet.com