The Rapid City mayor and city council should not automatically receive annual raises. But they voted for that very resolution at last week's city council meeting.

In a resolution approved by an 8-2 vote last Monday night, the council assigned itself a recurring 3 percent annual raise, which follows its raise on Jan. 1, 2008, to $13,113. The mayor will receive a raise to $95,046 on Jan. 1 and will also receive automatic 3 percent raises "annually thereafter," according to the resolution.

Elected officials should not approve themselves raises in perpetuity. At every point when the council believes it deserves a pay increase, that increase should be open for discussion, amongst both the council members and those who are paying for their raise - city residents. After that discussion has taken place, then a vote can be taken to authorize the raise.

Three percent raises are not guaranteed in perpetuity for city employees. Their raises come after careful negotiations with an eye toward many things, including what the city can afford financially. So should elected officials.

But instead of allowing a complete and open discussion with the public of the merits of this year's suggested pay increase, the council instead spent nearly an hour discussing their trip to New Orleans and the National League of Cities convention. Alderman Malcolm Chapman defended the value of the trip - even though it was the number of city councilors attending, not the value of the trip, that many questioned.

Nonetheless, we wish such passion was exhibited to defend a 3 percent perpetual raise for the council and the mayor. Instead, Alderwoman Deb Hadcock implied that those raising the issue were playing politics. No, Alderwoman, playing politics is sending out pamphlets depicting your opponent as a wing nut during a mayoral election. Questioning this resolution is simply requesting that the city's elected officials be open and responsive to those who pay their salaries, not to rubberstamp a raise in perpetuity so that it need not be discussed openly.

The citizens of Rapid City voted for a change last spring, in part, because they wanted more open, transparent government from their elected officials. This is no way for city council to answer their charge.