A possible salary increase for city aldermen has been removed from the table and will not be revisited for another year.
An ordinance amendment was first introduced last month at the Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting to increase the annual salary of the board aldermen by about $4,000, beginning in April.
According to the current city ordinance, “beginning with the first full pay period in November 2017, the compensation of the aldermen of the City of Yazoo City, Mississippi, shall be $2,179.67 per month, payable bi-weekly.” The amendment stated that “the Board of Mayor and Aldermen believe it to be in the best interest of the City that salaries for each Alderman be increased to $2,513 per month, payable bi-weekly.”
If the amendment had been approved by the city council, aldermen would see a pay raise of $334 monthly, or about $4,000 annually. Currently, the aldermen are paid an annual salary of about $26,156. The new pay scale would be an annual salary of $30,156.
However, during the most recent city council meeting, the board approved tabling the possible salary increase and not revisit it for 365 days.
“I am asking that we table this item and come back and look at it 365 days from today, which would allow us to have served on this board for two years,” said Alderman Charlie Jenkins. “My main concern is not the salary of the aldermen but the salary of the working employees.”
With no opposition, the board tabled the matter, stating that it would not appear before them again until February of 2023.
Earlier in the meeting, Jenkins said he would like the board to revisit the city’s employee pay scale in future budget preparation, adding that he feels “every employee of this city is important.”
“My focus is to allow the city workers to make a good living, and we are still not where we want to be,” Jenkins said. “Again, this is my opinion. I think we should be in another place with pay. But in order to get this pay, we have to perform the duties that go with it. I think we need to be comparative with any other city that is our size or maybe even a little bigger. Things could change when the pay changes.”
Jenkins said a more competitive pay scale could help city leaders find, hire and keep qualified workers.
“We need to get qualified workers to work in this city, and that will clean this city up,” Jenkins said. “We can raise the pay scales for qualified workers to attract people, and we won’t lose people every week because they can make a dollar more down the street.”
Jenkins asked that the city council prepare an adequate plan for competitive pay in the upcoming fiscal year budget.
“We are not where we are supposed to be in Yazoo City,” he said. “I think with just a little work and dedication, I think we can get there.”
