FOLEY - As the city prepares for changes in government later this year, the Foley City Council gave initial approval to salary changes Monday night.

The council voted for pay increases for the mayor and council member positions when the new term begins in November. The city will switch to a "strong council, weak mayor" form of government after the next municipal election. The new pay rates are comparable with other Baldwin County municipalities, according to city officials.

After November elections, the mayor will earn $30,000 a year while council members will receive $12,000 annually. The council president, who will preside over meetings, will earn $18,000 a year. Instead of a mayor pro-tem, the new system includes a president pro-tem, who will run meetings in the council president's absence.

The mayor's current pay scale is just less than $25,000 a year. Council members receive less than $10,000 and the mayor pro-tem receives less than $11,000 annual. The new rates are up about 20 percent from current pay.

"This is a little bit of an increase, but of course there hasn't been an increase in four years for any elected positions here. That's something else that I would note, too, is the size of our city," city administrator Michael Thompson said.

State law requires cities with more than 12,000 residents to implement a stronger council form of government, where the mayor does not preside over or vote in meetings but can veto items passed by the council. Foley's population was recorded at 14,618 in the 2010 census, nearly double the 7,590 figure in 2000.

In Gulf shores, the pay rate is $42,000 for the mayor and $12,000 for council members annually. The Orange Beach mayor receives just more than $30,000 a year, while Orange Beach council members earn $12,752 a year. The Orange Beach City Council is considering raising the mayor's pay to a $42,000 annual salary.

Gulf Shores has a population of 9,741 and Orange Beach counts 5,441 residents, according to the 2010 census.

"If you look at the populations of our city and the constituents that you guys are overseeing, we're substantially larger than the two cities on the south of us and our salary structure, even with the proposed changes I have before you, is very competitive," Thompson said to council members Monday.

Daphne pays its mayor about $76,000 a year along with a $6,000 car allowance and its council members receive $12,000 annually. The Fairhope mayor currently receives $60,000 a year, although the city passed an ordinance last year cutting the mayor's pay in half for the next term. Council members receive $7,200 a year.

Daphne's population is 21,570 and Fairhope's has a population of 15,326, according to the last census. Both cities switched to the "strong council, weak mayor" in 2004 after the 2000 census.

"I think it falls in line with the other municipalities," Councilman Charlie Ebert said.

Salaries must be finalized six months before municipal elections, according to state law. Foley has a deadline to approve the changes by Feb. 28, city officials said. The final vote is scheduled for Feb. 20