BEAUMONT, Texas — Beaumont city council members have dismissed a motion that if approved, would've given them their first raise in more than three decades.
The council voted to not give themselves salary raises that would double the mayor's pay and more than slightly double councilmembers' pay.
Currently, the mayor is paid $500 per month, or $6,000 yearly and council members are paid $400 per month, or $4,800 yearly.
The proposed salary for the mayor would've become $1,000 per month, or $12,000 yearly. The salary for council members would've risen from $400 to $900 per week or $10,800 yearly.
The last time council members received a salary raise was in 1985 according to the agenda packet. While the item didn't go through, it did start a discussion.
"I would like to move that we deny," Councilman Randy Feldschau said.
Councilman Feldschau said he asked for the item to be put on the agenda to simply have the discussion.
"As a council member, I am willing to stand up and address those issues that maybe are hard to address," Feldschau said.
Feldschau, who was the first to deny the motion, pointed out it's been 38 years years since council members saw an increase in their pay. Some members of the council feel the decision should be up to Beaumont residents.
"I would be in support of a raise if it actually went to the voters," Councilman AJ Turner said. "The people we actually work for."
Some residents agree that the decision should be up to voters, Ohers openly expressed how they were against the council getting a raise.
"The most important qualification for any leader is not wanting to be leader," Dylan Richardson, a Beaumont resident who spoke at the podium, said. "My take is that civil servants should be willing to do what they do for no pay at all, at minimum, just to be reimbursed for expenses and things of that nature."
City Manager Kenneth Williams believes it is possible the issue could end up in the hands of voters.
"Council has the ability to make that decision themselves in this charter, but some councils will put that on a ballot," Williams said. "Salary increase for council members, that's always a difficult proposition to deal with."
Williams said if the council did vote to increase salaries in the future, it would go into effect the following election cycle. So if a pay increase has been approved, it would have only taken effect after the upcoming election.
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