Dear Editor,
I attended Thursday’s budget hearing on the City of Yazoo City Board of Aldermen’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2023-2024. I was informed that since the $4,000 per alderman’s salary increase in the 2022-2023 budget did not go into effect, it was carried over to the 2023-2024 budget. This $4,000 salary increase could be acted upon in February 2024.
I asked that the aldermen forget the $4,000 salary increase and give yourselves a yearly cost-of-living adjustment based on inflation if you so desire.
My prepared remarks at the budget hearing follow:
“I received some information from the Stennis Institute of MS State concerning the salaries of the aldermen throughout the state. These salaries were divided between cities with populations between 10,000-20,000 and populations in excess of 20,000. Yazoo City has a population of about 10,316 people. It pays its aldermen about $26,000 a year. I took the average alderman’s pay for 13 cities in the 10,000-20,000 range of population. The average alderman’s pay was $19,300. I took the average alderman’s pay for 11 cities in the 20,000+ range. Yazoo City was the third highest in pay. Gautier had the largest population in the 10,000-20,000 range with 19,024 people. It paid its aldermen $15,000 per year. Of the 11 cities in the 20,000+ range population, Yazoo City would be the second highest in pay. Southhaven had the second largest population in the 20,000+ range with 54,648 people. It paid its aldermen $23,180 per year.
I have decided a fair salary for the aldermen in Yazoo City is $20,000 per year. When your salary went from $18,000 in 2017 to $26,000, you were overpaid. West Point with a population of 10,105 pays its aldermen $29,670 per year. Greenville with a population of 29,670 pays its aldermen $20,000 per year.
In the new budget, I would like to see you budget you alderman’s salary at $20,000 per year. You can give your aldermen a three percent cost-of-living adjustment of $600 per year, based on inflation, if you so desire. At the next city council meeting, I would like to see you vote to decrease your salary to $20,000 per year.”
Sincerely,
Wallace Russell
