Quincy commissioners consider budget that would more than double elected officials pay

The City of Quincy’s proposed $36 million budget that includes pay increases for both employees and elected officials.

While all members of the commission agreed that employees should receive a 1.5 percent raise across the board, the budget draft includes a 122 percent raise for the elected officials.

The estimated $20,000 raise would bump the commissioners up from their current salary of $16,651.96 to $37,000 per year.

The mayor, who is paid $100 more than the commissioners each month, would also receive $37,000 a year if the proposed budget is approved.

During the meeting's first budget workshop on September 1, only the commissioner expressed outrage, or even showed any objection to a drastic possible pay increase.

Commissioner Freida Bass-Prieto said she thinks the citizens should decide if the commissioners should get raises.

Bass-Prieto asked City Manager Jack McLean whose idea it was to increase the salaries to $37, however McLean avoided answering her question.

“That is what I’ve been given, so that is what I’m putting,” McLean told Bass-Prieto.

Bass-Prieto then asked the commissioners if they knew who had proposed the increase for the city manager.

Bass-Prieto and Mayor Ronte Harris got into a heated argument when Harris told her she could ask the city manager, and it was up to him to answer, but she could not poll the commission.

None of the commissioners admitted to making the request during the meeting.

In addition to the salary increases, the proposed budget also includes $35,000 to create a new position for a commission assistant, who McLean said would arrange commissioner’s schedules and assist with the needs of the citizens.

In a statement published on Bass-Prieto’s Facebook page, she stated: “I do not understand the need for a Commission Assistant when we already have a City Clerk who works for the commission and is currently budgeted to earn $45,000.00 in salary and $13,343.00 in benefits.”

During the workshop, Quincy’s clerk Janice Shackelford-Clemons asked the commissioners for a 3 percent raise.

However, the commissioners denied her request and recommended she receive a 1.5 percent increase like the other employees

They also agreed to budget $500 for her supplies instead of the $4,000 she requested.

Shackelford also asked for $1,000 for trainings, and $3,000 for travel expenses. The commissioners agreed to the $1,000 for training.

Bass-Prieto $3,000 is high for travel expenses since most of the training sessions will be in Florida.

The commissioners agreed to that cut number in half, budgeting $1500 for travel expenses instead.

Information provided by the city’s human resources office shows the city has 134 full-time employees.

Eighty-two earn less than the proposed $37,000. Two earn just a little more than $37,000.

According to the latest Census Demographic Data for the City of Quincy (2015-2019), the city’s population is 7972.

It’s important to note that the median household income is $36,250, and the per capita - or average income per person - is $18,594 within a 12-month period.

If the drafted commission budget is approved, the city will go from paying a total $85,428 for the four commissioners’ and mayor’s salary and wages to paying $220,428.

Which, of course, is funded by taxpayers.

That doesn’t include the additional Federal Insurance Contributions Act and Medicare taxes (7.5 percent of salaries and wages) and retirement benefits (12 percent of salaries and wages) the city will have to pay.

If fully approved, the commission budget would cost the citizens at least $274,996.00 per year, $163,106 more than it cost in previous years.

Bass-Prieto said there are other departments, such as Quincy’s police department, that could use the additional money.

Quincy’s police department has been understaffed for years. In the past few months Interim Chief Robert Mixson has asked the board multiple times for salary increases for officers, as did former Chief Glenn Sapp before he retired.

In April Mixson offered strategies to recruit and retain more officers.

At the time, Mixson said he was concerned because the city only had 12 patrol officers. Mixson said six were trainees who were paired with sworn officers. He said the trainees were not allowed to patrol alone.

On Tuesday, Mixson said the police department has a total of 27 law enforcement officers - not including the chief position that hasn’t been filled yet.

He said three are lieutenants and four are sergeants, which he says leaves a total of 19 officers and investigators that work out in the field.

If the commission approves the suggested salary increase, the elected officials could make more than most of the city’s first responders.

So could the commission assistant.

According to human resources records, the lowest paid Quincy police officers make $35,484 a year, and the city’s lowest paid firefighters make $30,984.

The proposed budget includes a 3.5 percent raise across the board for officers, which would make the starting pay $16.79 an hour for officers, or roughly $34,923 per year.

Despite the raises, the city’s overall budgeted expenditure total decreased by nearly an estimated $8 million, which is down from $44.7 million last year.

The commission members directed staff to not include grants that the city receives in the operating budget.

A separate budget was created just for grants.

The first budget hearing is set for Tuesday, September 14.

Citizens can attend in person to show their support for or opposition to the draft budget.

Citizens can also attend and voice concerns via Zoom.

Call the city hall at (850) 618-0020 to obtain the Zoom link.

Erin Hill - Gadsden County News Service

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Quincy commissioners consider budget that would more than double elected officials pay

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Havana American Legion honors the fallen 13 soldiers of the Kabul airport bombing

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