SCOTT CITY COUNCIL RAISES ON HOLD; IMMEDIATE PAY HIKES QUESTIONED

SCOTT CITY -- The Scott City Council voted itself immediate pay raises, action which City Attorney Frank Siebert said violated the Missouri Constitution.

Siebert Monday took full blame for the action. He said the council was unaware of a provision in the constitution when it approved the raises, and an amended ordinance would be presented at the next council meeting.

Making the raises effective immediately violated the constitution.

Siebert said although the raises were approved at a meeting last week, no raises have been paid.

The council approved an ordinance that increased the mayor's pay from $110 a month and $15 per council meeting to $200 a month and $30 a meeting.

Council members, who do not receive a monthly stipend, hiked their pay from $15 a council meeting to $30 a council meeting. For the first time, council members also approved compensation of $10 per committee meeting.

The pay raises bring council pay to a comparable level with Cape Girardeau and Jackson.

The ordinance approving the raises repealed an ordinance that made pay increases effective only when council members are re-elected.

Councilman Rodney Holloway cast the only dissenting vote.

Councilman Gary Miller, who chairs the finance committee, said budget problems plaguing the council the last two years were being corrected in part by a new water rate. The water system was providing more revenue for the public works department, the biggest drain on the budget.

Taking that into account, the council thought it might be time to bring their wages in line with those of the surrounding towns, he said. The council estimated the pay increase would cost about $2,600 a year for each council member.

Miller said that takes into account two regular meetings each month, an occasional special meeting and committee meetings. Each council member is on four committees. Committee chairmen will have to convince the mayor there is a need for their group to meet before a meeting is called, Miller said.

The increase puts Scott City council members' pay at about the $100-a-month mark, which is what Cape Girardeau's council members make.

Mayor Jerry Cummins' estimated pay of $260 a month would be more than the $150 a month Cape Girardeau Mayor Al Spradling III makes, but comparable to Jackson Mayor Paul Sander.

Jackson aldermen make $125 monthly and the mayor $250 a month. Sander said most municipal officials are underpaid, and he wouldn't argue with a city council voting itself a raise.

"I would have a problem with a council that voted itself a raise in the middle of its term," Sander said. "That wouldn't be right."

Former Scott City mayor Shirley Young disagreed with council members being paid for committee meetings. She said there is nothing to regulate how many committee meetings are held each month.

"Various committees are going to be required to meet more times than other committees," Young said. "Did they make a limit about how many committee meetings could be held a week?"