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COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- A Colorado Springs city council member is asking for a $90,000 annual pay raise.

Councilman Tim Leigh said though a position on city council is considered a part-time job, all nine council members work a full-time schedule and should be compensated.

"City council members do equal work as the mayor's office," Leigh said. "Therefore, we should be paid on an equal basis."

Currently, city council members make $6,250 a year, but Leigh believes that is not enough.

"The mayor gets $96,000 a year plus benefits," he said. "My contention was that council members should get $96,000 a year plus benefits. We may be part-time by the writing that says we're part-time, but it is much more than a full-time job. The typical council member works 45 to 60 hours a week on city council."

Leigh said the pay increase issue should be presented on the ballot, but a 1,600 percent pay increase does not sound like a reasonable request to some voters.

"It seems ridiculous to me," Raika Payvar of Colorado Springs said. "I work in education, and we're facing all kinds of budget cuts, so that doesn't seem fair. I'd like to know more about it and why he thinks he deserves that much."

Council President Scott Hente said he agrees with Leigh when it comes to city council members working a full-time schedule but does not support putting the issue before voters, at least not while he is in office.

"I knew what I was getting into. I knew what the salary was," Hente said. "Though I think it might be worth more for people who take this office in the future, I just can't support it for myself because I think that would be hypocritical."

Hente said he has always been opposed to the idea of a politician asking for more money once elected into office. Nevertheless, he said city council members should have a higher salary.

"Put it into comparison of what a county commissioner makes," Hente said. "They make about $87,000 a year. In terms of people we oversee and budget we oversee city council members have far more responsibilities than a county commissioner."

Leigh said asking voters to approve of a pay raise during a tough economy is a hard sell, but said his proposal goes beyond asking for more money.

"I know no one is going to get $96,000 a year for a salary," he said. "I want people to talk about it. I want them to get engaged in that thought process so we can really come to grips with, 'What's the role of council? How do we compensate council? What does that mean for the future?'"

Since he made his proposal, Leigh said he has accomplished his goal of getting citizens to talk about his request. He said he also wants voters to know he did not join city council for the money.

"I would do this job without a salary," Leigh said. "I am doing this as a volunteer. It isn't about Tim Leigh or Tim Leigh's salary. My hope was, by making a statement like I made, people at water coolers around the city would say, 'Did you see what that guy Tim Leigh said? I mean, that guy is a nut job.' Or, they are saying, 'There is some merit to what he said. We should consider what he said.'"

Once Hente is out of office, he said he would advocate for city council pay raises.