Should Detroit Officials Get Raises? The Public Weighs In With Charlie Langton [VIDEO]

DETROIT (CBS Detroit) As Detroit gets its financial footing back, some who were with the city as it struggled through bankruptcy think it's time for them to get a raise.

But is it a good idea?

WWJ's Charlie Langton took to the streets of Detroit to gauge the public's mood on the issue.

"Unbelieveable," one man said, later adding, "Raises right now are not important, getting the city back on its feet, now that's important."

Detroit exited municipal bankruptcy several months ago, and some city officials believe it's time for them their own financial reward. The city council last got a raise in 1999.

City Council President Brenda Jones and Clerk Janice Winfrey stood Wednesday in front the Detroit Elected Officials Compensation Commission and said they are overworked and underpaid.

Jones makes almost $77,000 a year, while Winfrey pulls down around $73,000. Both also have access to take-home city-owned cars.

Jones told the commission that elected officials haven't had a raise since 2001, and the last time their salaries were adjusted was in 2010 when they took a 10 percent pay cut.

The average Detroiter makes $26,000 a year.

Winfrey earlier told Langton that the "timing might be terrible" but she feels justified.

"I asked them if they would consider not pairing the city clerk's salary with the city council's salary. I asked them to consider restoring the 10 percent, as they reinstated the city employees. I also asked them to consider that I operate the largest and the most complex city clerk operation in the state of Michigan, that I oversee a budget of $13 million and approximately 200 full- and part-time employees," Winfrey said.

Winfrey knows a lot of people will be shaking their heads when they hear she's asked for a pay raise, but she said those people should consider all of her responsibilities.

"To the people who might say I knew the salary when I took it: Actually I didn't, but I do know this is not the salary that I was sworn in at initially. It's 10 percent less," she said.

The commission meets again March 16. If the board decides to recommend a pay raise, the City Council would then vote on the changes.

A spokesman for Mike Duggan says the mayor is satisfied with his annual salary of $158,559.

"Citizens of Detroit need a raise, too," one man told Langton. "Maybe that's why our neighborhoods are looking like they're looking."

One man said any extra money the city garners should go to the homeless, while another said money would be better spent fixing potholes.