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We all know how expensive it is to live in Hawaii.

The median price for  in February, and Hawaii’s average annual wages, adjusted for inflation, , while the cost of goods and services have risen sharply since. Even the cost of eggs in Hawaii — $9.73 a dozen — is .

And yet, many of us are still earning the same salaries we did pre-pandemic. (Some of us even less. And I know people who work in hotels who still haven’t been called back from furlough.)

So it came as a shock — maybe even a slap in the face — when news broke that the Honolulu Salary Commission recommended substantial pay boosts for the mayor, city department heads and City Council members. In particular, the commission proposed a nearly 100% pay increase for the council, raising members’ salaries to $135,000 from $68,904. Technically, City Council members are part-time employees, though they do get full medical benefits, a $350 monthly car stipend and other financial perks.

Compare that to and work part time. In states with high costs of living like Hawaii — namely, California and New York — state lawmakers earn $119,702 and $110,000, respectively. That’s still less than what the Honolulu Salary Commission is proposing for the council.

The argument for this huge hike in salaries is twofold: council members say they work full-time hours and should be compensated, and the wage increase reflects the high cost of living in Hawaii. Mayor Rick Blangiardi — who would see his annual salary increase to $209,856 from $186,432 — said the pay hikes were necessary to recruit and retain city workers. Also, the mayor and short-term appointees don’t benefit from pensions.

At least one City Council member is against the pay raise.

Augie Tulba, who represents District 9 (Waipahu, Iroquois Point, West Loch, Ewa Villages and portions of Ewa Beach), feels like this proposal is badly timed — and unnecessary.

“Right now, it’s a bad time for us to talk about raises, especially when a recession is coming,” he says. “At the end of the day, people in the community like see you get all the things done, all the things they ask for … I like being a public servant. I’m not complaining about my pay.”

Tulba, who’s best known as a local comedian, works as a radio host and emcees events on weekends to supplement his city salary. He admits his day job — city councilman — takes up a lot of his time, and he often works more than 40 hours a week.

“I’ve got to still survive here in Hawaii,” he says. “You cannot survive on $68,000 a year, but I knew that going in.”

In the end, the commission ended up on Tuesday of the proposed pay raises, but that’s still a 64.4% jump. The salary for individual council members will increase to $113,292, which still seems high for a part-time city job — the requirement of which is . 

If we compare mean salaries using , they will be making more than clinical psychologists, human resource managers, detectives, environmental engineers, registered nurses, midwives, journalists and most teachers. And all of these jobs require degrees, certifications and experience.

I can’t say City Council members don’t deserve the high salary. I’ve never held public office and I realize their public schedules don’t reflect a lot of the work they do, from attending neighborhood board meetings to talking with reporters like me. But I agree with Tulba that this isn’t the best time to dole out considerable raises when many of us — the folks who voted them into office — are struggling to get by on far lower salaries.

 “When I see that teachers don’t make as much as me, or counselors or social workers who work with our homeless, that they don’t even make close to me, it feels selfish,” Tulba says. “I didn’t come into this job for the pay. I came into this job to serve.”