 |
|
|
|
Salary increases back on table |
|
|
Thursday, 12 February 2009 |
Bryant City Council tonight will resume a discussion of salary increases for elected officials for the third time since the proposal was introduced in early January.
The meeting begins at 7 at Boswell Municipal Complex, 210 S.W. Third St.
On Jan. 8, the council voted 6-2 to increase the mayor’s salary from $58,377 to $76,700 annually; the city clerk’s salary from $30,000 to $46,600; and the pay for aldermen from $4,800 to $8,600.
Aldermen Ken Green and Chris Tipton voted against the measure.
City Attorney Nga Mahfouz said the council will have to adopt ordinances to make the increases official and the three ordinances were voted on Jan. 26. The vote on the first reading of the ordinance for the city clerk’s salary increase ended in a tie, but Mayor Larry Mitchell decided not to inject his tie-breaking vote and the ordinance was denied.
The ordinance to increase the mayor’s salary was defeated 5-3 on its first reading. Aldermen Ed Collins, Steve Gladden and Danny Steele voted in favor of the pay raises.
Proposed ordinances for the city clerk and mayor will be brought before council today for a second reading.
Green motioned that the third ordinance to increase the salary of the city councilmen be tabled and sent back to the personnel and finance committee. The first reading for the council’s salary in-creases is expected to be voted on today.
The scale used to determine the pay rate increase was determined after council hired Job Evaluation and Salary Administration Pro-gram in Northwest Arkansas on Dec. 30 to provide the city software for city employee compensation.
JESAP provided councilmen, the mayor and certain city employees with a summary of salary survey comparisons with other cities in Arkansas. Cities Bryant was compared with are Benton, North Little Rock, Conway, Maumelle, Jacksonville, Russellville, Malvern, Searcy, Arkadelphia and Cabot. The summary also showed a comparison average of all the cities.
The suggested range recommendations for a 2009 salary increase from JESAP were divided into three categories: minimum, midpoint and maximum.
•Minimum is $61,360 for the mayor; $37,280 for the clerk; and $6,880 for the councilmen.
•Midpoint is $76,700 for the mayor; $46,600 for the clerk; and $8,600 for the councilmen.
•Maximum is $92,040 for the mayor; $55,920 for the clerk; and $10,320 for the council.
In comparison with the closest city, Benton, the may-or makes $68,002 and aldermen make $9,000 each. The city clerk in Benton is not listed with any salary, according to JESAP.
Because of this information, several city councilmen said they felt the need to increase the pay of their elected officials.
“We are below the market and that is what JESAP is saying,” Alderman Adrian Henley said previously. “That is why we hired them to let us know where we are playing ball with other cities and attract people we need to attract.”
Gladden also supported the pay rate increases, de-spite saying the elected officials ran for the position “not for the money.” He said the elected officials put in “a lot of hours and work for little pay” and felt that an increase in salary would attract more qualified candidates for the positions.
“The mayor, city clerk and other positions should at least be brought to fair pay,” Gladden said. “In the future we have got to be able to recruit people.”
Henley added that the JESAP study allowed city employees to receive pay raises, but now that the elected officials are asking for pay raises, it is made into “a big deal.” He said the city gave pay raises to 17 city employees, but “now we are saying something is wrong.”
Alderman Chris Tipton however responded that city employees received a minimum pay raise, and not a midpoint pay raise that is suggested for elected officials.
“How can you justify giving the employees a minimum and then jumping us to the midpoint?,” Tipton asked. “It just doesn’t pass the smell test.”
Tipton said residents of Bryant are not necessarily against a pay raise for elected officials; however, some are against the amount of the pay raise, he said. He suggested the council consider raising a lower salary increase over time.
“Do we have to get [salary increases] now?” Tipton asked. “I don’t think the citizens would be upset with a pay increase.”
I think the problem they have is they are seeing a huge pay increase, percentage wise anyhow. The economy is not good, the water bills are going up and everyone is suffering. I don’t know why we can’t do this incrementally. I think a little common sense would go a long way here, especially with the people who voted to put us up here.”
Before the three salary increase ordinances are brought before council, Director of Public Works Richard Penn is expected to update the council on projects to ease the city’s flooding problems. The city has been working with FTN and Associates of Little Rock since January 2007 to conduct a watershed study in particular neighborhoods. Penn is expected to ask the council to approve financing for Meadowlake Stormwater Project in the FTN project.
In other business, the council will vote on the appointment of Ken Brunt to the planning commission; acceptance of historical Hurricane Creek bridge; proposed water storage tank site information; approval for funding for street projects; first reading of an ordinance requiring electronic record keeping by pawnshop owners; first reading of an ordinance to permit an exception for the discharge of firearms within city limits; approve utility lanes to Camry Court; approval of compensation for firefighters performing acting supervisor duties; approval to sell Bryant Fire Department engine 14 through competitive bidding process; approval for funding the matching 20 percent grant for the city portion of the red light at Roya Lane and Reynolds Road; approval of change in personnel policy concerning donated leave hours; and approval of policy change for police vacation accrual.
|
|
|
|
Razorbacks
