Unlike their county peers, Starkville city employees will not receive a pay raise in the upcoming fiscal year.
A last-minute motion to institute an across-the-board, 1.5 percent wage increase died at the table Tuesday without a second, but Ward 2 Alderman Lisa Wynn, the representative who called for the adjustment, vowed to continue fighting for higher salaries for workers during the rest of this term.
Her proposal called for raises to come from the city’s budgeted $750,000 ending fund balance and any surplus ad valorem taxes that would specifically replenish Starkville’s financial buffer account.
Wynn noted the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors continued ability to provide 3 percent increases for its workers each year and criticized her peers for failing to even advocate current or future pay raises. All city employees, especially sanitation workers who earn only about $9.75 per hour, are deserving of an increase, she said.
“For as long as I am on this board, every year I will put it in the budget even if I have to stand on my own and not be successful at it,” she said. “I’ve been on (the board) for 15 months. We have two aldermen that are in their second terms and one in his fifth, and we sit up and not say anything? It’s unacceptable.
“I’m sad that only one person out of seven thought enough about our city employees,” she added.
After the proposal fell upon deaf ears, Wiseman stumped for her plan and said the city should have flexibility with expected property taxes. The incoming Fiscal Year 2014-2015 budget, which was approved Tuesday in a 4-3 vote, conservatively budgets ad valorem revenues at 90.7 percent of the expected mark.
While the mayor said conservative estimates make for safe policy in re-evaluation years – residents can contest their property’s new evaluation if they so desire – the city’s most recent ad valorem figure was previously budgeted almost a full 4 points higher than FY 2014-2015’s mark.
“One of our goals is to have a pay scale that is fair, competitive and livable. (Wynn’s 1.5 percent proposal) basically amounts to a cost-of-living adjustment that adjusts for inflation,” he said after the motion died at the table. “Y’all know I protect the ending fund as much or more than anybody else. I am confident that the odds are much better than not that you’ll end with $750,000 next year.”
Both Ward 4 Alderman Jason Walker, who joined Wynn and Ward 1 Alderman Ben Carver’s in voting against the FY 2014-2015 budget, and Ward 3 Alderman David Little took issue with Wynn’s last-minute amendment at the table after the board received the finalized document two weeks ago. Little specifically highlighted Carver’s successful motion that called for staff and aldermen to stop adding additional agenda items and other business after Friday e-packets are published.
“I know we have hard-working city employees, and many are entitled to raises. This is really late in the game to be adding at the table,” Little said.
Walker took exception to his exclusion from the three-person budget committee and said he was placed in a tough position to vote on a new financial plan only minutes after it was amended.
“I hope you made those same comments throughout the budget meetings,” he said to Wynn, who served on the Starkville Audit and Budget Committee along with Ward 5 Alderman Scott Maynard and Ward 6 Alderman Roy A. Perkins.
Walker previously asked to be part of the budget committee and help guide city finances, but the entire board nixed the move. He would attend meetings with department heads along with the board, but Perkins retrieved an opinion from board attorney Chris Latimer that advised Walker to not speak or participate during financial discussions.
“I specifically asked (how much the city would budget for incoming ad valorem taxes) and was told 97 percent. Which is it? Is it 90.7 or 97 percent?” he asked. “That puts us all in a very difficult position. Not that anyone is trying to hide information, but is it accurate? I’m not sure.”
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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