Elected city officials will receive a 3 percent annual pay raise for each of the next four years after members of Athens City Council unanimously voted in favor of the ordinance last night.
The mayor, city auditor, law director and City Council members will be affected by the increase.
The increase means that in 2008, the mayor's salary will be about $68,700 and increase by about $2,000 annually to hit $75,000 by 2011, said Councilman Jim Sands, D-At large. In that time frame, the salaries of the auditor and law director will increase from about $57,400 to $62,700 each. Council members will make about $6,800 each in 2008 and roughly $7,500 by 2011. The council president will earn about $8,500 in 2008 and nearly $9,300 by 2011, he said.
In 2008, the salary increase will cost the city of Athens $7,400 more than in 2007, he said.
Council sees similar pay raise ordinances every four years and its members likely will vote on the next new pay raise ordinance in 2011, Sands said.
Council also passed three ordinances vacating streets for University Estates. Councilwoman Debbie Phillips, D-4th Ward, said the developer requested that the city vacate the streets so they can file for a plat change, or a change in the mapping of plans for the development.
As the sole dissenter, Councilman Paul Wiehl, D-1st Ward, said he was not willing to help the developers when they didn't do their homework. Wiehl said University Estates developers built a roadway, Altamonte Terrace, in the wrong place, and he thinks the two other roads were vacated so University Estates could avoid spending money on maintenance.
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Dianne Selden
