TUPELO, Miss. (AP) - Tupelo Mayor Jason Shelton’s proposed 1 percent pay raise for city employees is getting a cool reception from Tupelo council members.
Shelton acknowledged Friday he may not have enough support to get his plan passed at Tuesday’s meeting. The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reports (https://bit.ly/1ld62XY ) that some council members have even asked him to remove it from the meeting’s agenda.
They want to give city leaders more time to work out a plan that includes higher reductions in personnel costs that could lead to 3 percent pay increase for city employees.
Inflation has increased by 4 percent since city employees received the most recent cost-of-living adjustment in October 2011.
Funding for the 1 percent pay bump comes from eliminating four positions from the general fund, including one held by outgoing Chief Financial Officer Lynn Norris. Three of those jobs were vacant. The city currently has 368 employees paid from the city’s general revenue fund.
Among seven council members, two - Markel Whittington of Ward 1 and Lynn Bryan of Ward 2 - plan to vote against Shelton’s plan, while Jim Newell of Ward 3 has voiced strong hesitation. Council President Nettie Davis will not vote on the raise since her daughter is a city employee.
“I’m still talking to members of the council hoping to iron out details to make sure we have enough votes to pass it,” Shelton said.
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Information from: Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, https://djournal.com
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