Pay raises remain in budget for Quincy commissioners

Quincy commissioners vote to keep the raises in the proposed budget, despite public backlash.

Quincy’s commission chambers were packed on Tuesday, September14 as citizens showed up in opposition of a budget that gives elected officials a 122% pay increase.

An overflow of people was placed in a nearby conference room, as the first budget hearing streamed live on a television screen.

Despite pleas from many citizens, Commissioners Keith Dowdell, Annessa Albritton-Candidate, and Mayor Ronte Harris voted to approve the drastic increase in salaries.

Citizens were given three minutes each to comment.

Pastor Charles Morris said he received many texts, emails and calls from disappointed citizens concerning the pay hike for city commissioners that’s a part of the proposed budget.

“People dying are in Quincy; people are living in dilapidated homes,” Morris said. “It’s a shame we can propose a 122% increase in commissioner salaries when we have nothing to show for it.”

Following Morris, Julie Baroody took the podium and implored that the commissioners reward maintenance workers, police officers and other employees by giving them meaningful raises, instead of the commissioners rewarding themselves.

“We believe the City of Quincy can be great; we are not right now,” Baroody said. “Give them the infrastructure they need to do their jobs, and fund nonprofits.”

Up next was Paula Phillips. She said 1 in 3 citizens in Quincy are below the poverty line.

“I don’t see how you’re going to get this kind of raise on the backs of these people,” Phillips said. “First responders are receiving 1.5%, and you’re getting 122%. For what, 22 hours a month? I don’t know how you can justify that.”

Richard Massey, also against the raises, told the commissioners they typically meet for 15-20 hours a month.

“I was being very generous, and even if you worked 40 hours a month, that would equate to $78 an hour,” Massey said.

As a point of reference, according to information compiled by the human resources department, the city’s lowest paid firefighters make $11.20 an hour.

The lowest paid police officers make $16.23 an hour.

The lowest paid maintenance workers make $11.25 an hour.

Alex Sink told the commissioners he is embarrassed and ashamed that they would consider giving themselves such steep pay hikes.

“Each one of you knew what the job was, and what it paid when you took it,” Sink told the commission members.

Sink said the commissioners would be making more than Chattahoochee and Havana commissioners combined.

At the current $17,000 a year, Quincy commissioners are already the highest paid of all the municipalities in Gadsden County.

Gretna commissioners earn $11,033 a year, and Gretna’s mayor is paid $12,690 annually.

Midway council members make $8,400 per year, and Midway’s mayor earns $9,600 a year.

Chattahoochee commissioners are paid about $3,600 annually.

Havana council members are not paid at all.

Another Quincy resident, Martha Sapp, also shared her outrage over the proposed raises.

Sapp said there was much concern from citizens when City Manager Jack McLean was hired in 2018, after being fired in 2014.

“During the past three years since Jack McLean returned, you’ve given yourselves health insurance, pensions and now 122 percent raises,” Sapp said. “If serving as commissioner is too much of a commitment, please step aside.”

Denise Hannon, who addressed the commissioners after Sapp, said the citizens haven’t had much say on how money is being spent.

“Stop lining your pockets with our money,” Hannon said; she also urged the clerk to poll the commission in a roll-call vote.

Former Quincy mayor/commissioner Derrick Elias asked Commissioner Angela Grant Sapp, who represents the district he lives in, to vote against the pay increases.

He also pointed out that when he was on the commission, Sapp and Dowdell voted against a 3% raise for commissioners that Elias proposed.

“I don’t know what you’re going to do more than you’re doing now to warrant such salaries,” Elias said. “Before I came up here my water pressure was really low. There are so many infrastructure needs.”

Only one person spoke in favor of the proposed raises.

“I’ve heard what everybody had to say, and it would make me think you’re some dropkicks - sidekicks.” Yolanda Jackson said. “The city might not be where it ought to be, but it’s not where it used to be.”

Jackson said she wants to be able to call commissioners any time, day or night, and she said she wants her problems resolved.

“Commissioners that don’t want it, opt-out and don’t take it,” Jackson told the members of the commission.

When it came time to vote, Commissioner Freida-Bass Prieto made a motion to set the commissioners’ salaries back to the 2021 amount, keeping them at the same pay.

Bass-Prieto and Sapp voted in favor of keeping commissioners’ salaries at approximately $17,000 a year.

Harris, Canidate-Albritton and Dowdell voted against keeping commissioners’ salaries the same.

A motion was then made to approve the new salaries on the first reading.

Harris, Albritton-Canidate and Dowdell voted in favor of keeping the 122% raises in the budget on its first reading, while Bass-Prieto and Sapp voted against it.

If fully approved, the raises will also cause an increase in the amount of Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) taxes and retirement the city pays for commissioners, which combined may cost the city an additional $116,000.

In other budget matters, a proposed commission assistant position, with an allotted $35,000, was removed from the tentative budget.

The commissioners also voted 4-1 to include a $4,000 annual raise for City Clerk Janice Shackelford-Clemons, bringing her salary to $49,000 a year.

Harris, Albritton-Canidate, Sapp and Dowdell voted in favor of giving the clerk the 8.9% raise.

Bass-Prieto was the lone dissenting vote.

The Hurricane Michael surcharge was also addressed during the budget hearing.

Citizens will continue to pay the additional .09 percent on utilities that was enacted after Hurricane Michael.

The city’s finance director Maria Carty said revenue from the Hurricane Michael surcharge is needed to pay off some of the city’s loans.

She also said the surcharge sunsets - or in other words expires - in February 2023.

The commissioners voted 3-2 to adopt the tentative budget with changes.

Sapp and Bass-Prieto opposed adopting the proposed budget.

A final budget hearing must be held no later than Sept. 30 before the final budget can be adopted.

As of Monday, a date and time had not been set for the final budget hearing.

Erin Hill - Gadsden County News Service

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Pay raises remain in budget for Quincy commissioners

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IN REVIEW: Quincy Music Theatre’s The Pajama Game is a winner

Has the county violated state law? Gadsden County says no – county attorney says budgets not properly advertised

Has the county violated state law? Gadsden County says no - county attorney says budgets not properly advertised

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