Will the 50 percent pay raise City Council is likely to approve today for future members create better services and improve lives of Valdostans? We don’t think so.

The four members who are likely to favor the raise defend it because they say their districts require more frequent problem-solving and attention. But the role of a council member is to communicate the concerns and needs of his constituents to the full-time administrators and staffers of the city.

That is why the council’s positions are not full time. They’re not even part time. Council’s primary role is to set policies and make decisions as a group.

This group of four is grasping for reasons to dip into the public’s money. Council members are elected as stewards of funds entrusted to them. Its members should be finding ways to cut expenditures, not expand them.

Will pay of $15,500 a year make that much difference to these council members who return to office next year? Will it be enough? Maybe the work really merits $20,000. How about $25,000? There is plenty of tax money to go around, right?

If these council members are doing as much work as they say, maybe they need to look at reducing the number of full-time employees in the city, because someone is not doing their job.

We urge the public to attend today’s meeting at 5:30 p.m. in City Hall to protest this pay hike.