Friday, October 12, 2012

City Council Members Forego 2013 Raises in Terre Haute

From the Terre Haute Tribune-Star:

As a vote on Terre Haute’s 2013 budget nears later this month, more questions are being raised about the city’s financial health.

Members of the public and city officials discussed next year’s budget at a public hearing Thursday night in City Hall at a special meeting of the City Council. In recent years, such hearings have been uneventful, but this time some members of the public raised questions and concerns.


Also Thursday night, especially in view of the general fund shortfall, the nine-person City Council, which passes the city’s budget, voted unanimously to deny itself a 2 percent pay increases in 2013. All other city employees, including the mayor and other elected officials, will receive a 2 percent raise next year.

Members of the council receive a salary of $14,166 not including benefits. Their vote saved the city – in total – just less than $3,000.

Increasing city employee salaries by 2 percent next year will add about $568,000 in new expenses in 2013, said Leslie Ellis, city controller. That’s less than the $1 million previously estimated.

See the full story here: