PORT ANGELES — City Council members voted themselves a pay raise Tuesday night, but the first increases won’t be paid for two years.

Three city council members elected in November and scheduled to take office in January will get a $100 monthly raise in 2006, while the other four must wait until 2008, council members decided at their last meeting of 2003.

The increases will raise council member salaries from $400 to $500 per month, beginning in 2006.

The mayor’s pay will increase from $500 per month to $600 per month in 2006, while the deputy mayor’s salary also will increase from $450 to $550 per month in 2006.

Council members also will be allowed to buy medical and dental insurance through the city, with the starting dates staggered.

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The rest of the story appears in Thursday’s Peninsula Daily News.