CRESTVIEW — City employees who got a 3 percent pay raise Oct. 1 also will get a 1 percent raise effective with their December paychecks.
The City Council on Monday voted 3-2 for the raise. Council members Joe Blocker, Shannon Hayes and Mickey Rytman favored the motion; Tom Gordon and Robyn Helt dissented.
Gordon and Helt stressed their support for the city’s workers, but said taxpayer money is under discussion, and that a recent financial audit cautioned the city was operating at a deficit.
The council must stick to its budget to meet its obligations to taxpayers, Helt said. “I’ve always believed in supporting the low man on the totem pole, but these days, the low man on the totem pole is the taxpayer,” she said.
Gordon advocated waiting until next year’s budget planning and implementing a merit-based pay raise system rather than across-the-board raises. “It’s not fair,” he said. “I’m not able to support this.”
City Clerk Betsy Roy said $55,000 needed to cover the raises came from $180,000 in unexpected savings from Gulf Power for budgeted street lighting. In addition to the raises, $75,000 will be added to the $800,000 contingency fund. The remaining $50,000 will stay in the street lighting fund in case of lighting increases.
Public Works Director Wayne Steele, who requested raises, said 20 of his employees make $12 an hour. “What I am asking is help those employees who are making so little to make a little more,” he said.
Councilman Mickey Rytman said he sympathized with city workers when he moved to provide the raises.
Still, Helt said, "Basically we’re floating the city on Gulf Power’s refund. If you were floating your household by going to Dillard’s and returning a dress, that’s a bad position to be in.
"You’ve got to operate within a budget, period.”
Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: City Council OKs pay raises for some employees