Council approves pay raises, water, sewer rate increases

By By Fredie Carmichael / staff writer
September 8, 2004
Meridian city councilmen gave final approval Tuesday to how the city will spend $49.3 million in taxpayer money during the next fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.
Councilmen approved the budget, a 10 percent increase in water and sewer rates, and an employee pay raise all in separate orders.
Council president Bobby Smith of Ward 5 was the only councilman to vote against the water rate increase and the employee pay raise.
Although councilmen have always planned a pay raise for their employees, they reversed themselves Tuesday on how the raises would be distributed. Councilmen originally proposed a $750 across-the-board employee pay raise as a way to give employees who make less than $30,000 a year more money than a 2.5 percent raise would provide.
But Meridian Mayor John Robert Smith recommended a pay raise that would give employees a 2.5 percent raise or $750, whichever is greater. That plan would allow higher level employees who make more than $30,000 a year to receive a larger raise.
And all but Councilman Smith agreed with the mayor.
Tuesday's vote came about a month after councilmen met without the city administration for three days at City Hall to discuss how they would spend taxpayer money for the next fiscal year. At the time, councilmen changed the planned 2.5 percent employee pay raise to the $750 across-the-board raise.
They touted the move as a way to free more money to hire more police officers, hire public works employees and repair bathrooms at Lakeview Golf Course.
Weeks later, Mayor Smith hosted a meeting with councilmen to discuss their proposed changes. Councilmen then decided to reduce the number of police officers and public works employees they planned to add to the budget from five to three.
And on Tuesday, the mayor told councilmen that he believed his proposed pay raise was better for all city employees.
Meridian employees who have worked for the city at least one year will see the increase in their paycheck on their first pay day in October.