Supervisors reject move to nix raise

By By Steve Gillespie / staff writer
September 15, 2004
Lauderdale County supervisors will keep their 20 percent pay raise.
Supervisors on Tuesday rejected 3-2 a proposal by District 5 Supervisor Ray Boswell to rescind the raise they gave themselves this year. Supervisors will earn $44,700 starting Oct. 1, up from $37,343 this year.
Boswell tried to persuade supervisors to nix the raise after he and other county officials sat through a public hearing in which residents angrily complained about a 6.9 percent property tax increase.
Boswell's motion drew applause from the crowd.
District 1 Supervisor Eddie Harper joined Boswell in voting to rescind the raise. Supervisors Jimmie Smith of District 2, Craig Hitt of District 3 and Joe Norwood of District 4 voted to keep the raise.
After the meeting, Smith said he didn't vote to rescind his pay raise because the board of supervisors had already made up its mind to accept the raise at a meeting in June.
Hitt said he didn't vote to rescind his pay raise because, in his case, it wasn't a raise at all.
Norwood, who also serves as the board's president, dismissed Boswell's move as a political ploy.