Choosing whether to award yourself money doesn't sound like a tough decision, but it will be for the East Lansing City Council within the next week.

Despite a $900 million state budget shortfall, which will inevitably trickle down to the local level, council members will get to decide whether to approve or reject a 10-percent pay raise effective Nov. 1.

Being on city council requires long hours of work for little pay - which is probably one of the reasons all the council members are running unopposed this election. While a pay raise might make the job more enticing, it simply comes at the wrong time.

The state budget is in a time of crisis. Local municipalities were dealt cuts totaling $43.5 million and another $19.1 million was lost because sales taxes were down.

It is also possible, future cuts could keep local governments from continuing basic services ,such as trash removal, fire and police. Services such as these are vital in any community and should be the very last to be slashed.

If such basic aid and utilities are in line to be axed, then city council members should think twice about giving themselves a pay raise.

Council member salaries are reviewed every two years. Should the council vote to give themselves the increase, it will be the first raise since 1999.

In 2001, the council did not recommend an increase because of budget concerns. By refusing the pay raise in 2001, the city council set a precedent for itself. The state budget is still in a sorry state of affairs - if a pay raise was not a good idea then, it certainly is not now.

One smart move for East Lansing officials would be to examine why the city council jobs are not attracting people. In the upcoming November election, Mayor Mark Meadows, Mayor Pro Tem Sam Singh and Councilmember Beverly Baten are running unopposed.

It is disheartening when there are no new names on the ballot for city council members.

Salaries are possibly one factor that deters possible candidates from running. Currently, council members make $6,600 annually, while the mayor makes $7,700.

If they approve the pay raise, their salaries would increase to $7,260 and $8,470, respectively.

But while there needs to be a way to encourage interest in working for the government, city officials might want to look at tactics other than just raising salaries - at least for now, with the state of the economy.

The city council faces a tough decision with the upcoming pay-increase deadline on Tuesday.

As government representatives, council members work for the public and therefore the public should be able to give them feedback on the pay increase. Residents should council members and give them feedback on the pay raise. Information is available at www.cityofeastlansing.com.

The right decision right now is for the city council to think about the big picture - to think about the good of the community and not the almighty dollar.