Council debates raising base pay to hire a street and sanitation director after costly contracting

Councilmembers spent substantial time debating whether to amend the city’s base-pay ordinance to hire a proposed street and sanitation director at a requested salary of $70,000.

The mayor argued the candidate could replace recurring contractor costs and produce savings, noting the city had paid about $200,000 to a contractor in prior months: "we spent over 200 thou... when annually we could have had a salary for 70,000," he said. He urged council to consider amending base pay to secure a qualified candidate who had previously worked at high levels in larger systems.

Opponents including Councilmember Mr. Ethley urged financial caution and asked for up-to-date treasury and claims reports before changing base-pay policy, saying the city’s current finances were "dire" and that every line item deserved scrutiny. Several council members suggested hiring at the current base pay with a later raise after a trial period, noting the base-pay ordinance already allows increases after 180 days.

No amendment vote was recorded. The mayor said staff would continue recruiting under existing rules if council preferred, and that the administration would return with clearer financial information and a recommendation.