Pay Raise For Mayor & Council

When an ordinance was introduced at the last Monroe City council meeting, differences of opinion ran high. So it was no surprise that when the ordinance came up for final adoption, there were few changes in how people felt about the ordinance. Many felt that it was going to be a tough vote for some city council members, as the final votes on both ordinances went back and forth between council members as lengthy discussions were had. On Tuesday night, March 14, 2023, Monroe mayor, Friday Ellis, came out the victor. Though the raise won't be effective until the next administration, which could be under a different administration, there had not been a raise for the position of mayor in more than twenty years. Council president Kema Dawson(District 5) said that as councilpersons, “you work hard, and you want to get rewarded for it,” as the ordinance for council pay raise was up for discussion/final vote. Dawson said that the check is important to some of this, as they are often called to do things, and their job “is more than meeting two days a month”. District 3 councilwoman Juanita Woods said that she knew what she was getting into but also said that she would continue to do what she does. When the ordinance came up for a vote, Woods said that she wouldn’t support a pay raise “at this time”.

Councilwoman Gretchen Ezernack (District 2), who seemed to have had reservations when the council pay raise ordinance was introduced, seconded it for introductory purposes only, appeared to have concerns on Tuesday night’s meeting, saying that she wasn’t sure because of the economic climate and how it could change drastically, didn’t know if the city could continue to maintain the sales tax revenue that is projected on a yearly basis.

“Those are our main source of income,” said Ezernack. She continued saying that, personally, she wasn’t able to support it either. Several council members stressed that the pay raises for council members and Mayor Ellis would only take effect after the 2024 elections, perhaps sending a signal that new faces might be sitting in council chairs and in the mayor’s seat. When the votes were cast, the ordinance failed by a vote of 3-2, with District 4 Councilman Carday Marshall, Sr., District 3 Councilwoman Juanita Woods, and District 2 Councilwoman Gretchen Ezernack voting no. Doug Harvey(District 1) and Kema Dawson(District 5) voted yes.

There was also opposition to a pay raise for the position of mayor, as supporters reminded those in the audience that a pay raise was ‘for the position” and not the person who is mayor. The argument for a mayor pay raise was that when the ordinance was first introduced, the raise was justified because not only after a twenty-year drought the mayor, as a chief executive, should be well paid for the work that a mayor does. While the discussion went on about pay raises for the mayor and council members, they were reminded that city employees should be considered when future raises are discussed. One supporter speaking on behalf of the city employees admonished council members to take care of the people first, those who keep the city operating. The ones who are called into neighborhoods when citizens call city hall about some issue/problem that needs to be addressed. The persuasion to get council members to take another look at a mayoral pay raise wasn’t enough. Council members Marshall, Harvey, and Dawson voted for passage, while Ezernack and Woods voted no. The new salary in 2024 will now be $130,000 per year, $40,000 more than the current salary.