Vienna City Council member Mike Elam expresses why he disagrees and ultimately votes no on passing the 2019-2020 General Fund and Coal Severance Budgets at Tuesday’s special session of Vienna City Council. (Photo by Madeline Scarborough)

VIENNA — The 2019-2020 General Fund and Coal Severance Budgets passed on a 5-2 vote at Vienna City Council’s special session on Tuesday night.

Councilmembers Mike Elam and Roger Conley voted no on passing the balanced budget as it stood for multiple reasons.

“The city has been operating as same old same old, and I think change needs to happen,” said Elam.

One of the reasons Elam gave for disliking the budget as presented was the $1 pay raise for all employees, which he feels “rewards bad employees and hurts the good ones.”

Conley disliked the raised amounts of the city budget and the spending of all the city’s money.

“We need to save money, what would the city have done if home rule disappeared? What will we do if the business and occupation tax were to disappear,” he said.

Conley said he feels the city needs to “tighten their belts” on spending money and prepare for situations that could cause loss of revenue.

Councilmember Bruce Rogers had disagreements with certain areas of the budget such as the cut out playground equipment and the economic development section in general.

“But we have given our city good health insurance, raises and many good outside programs were able to be funded,” Rogers said.

Elam continued on Rogers pointed out dislikes, asking why the council couldn’t vote line by line rather than as a whole.

Councilmember Jim Leach responded, “I am in general satisfied with the budget. There are a few areas I would personally do different as well, but I trust the department heads who have presented us with their portion of the budget to know what they need most and what is the best route to take.”

Conley asked if Mayor Randy Rapp and Recorder Cathy Smith could recuse themselves since the budget included financial gain for both of them, as it “is not the right or ethical thing to do.”

Rogers added to that, stating that if that was the case, “then under city council budget, line item retirement expense there are some councilmembers receiving retirement benefits, that should then recuse themselves as well.”

City Attorney Russell Skogstad disagreed with his reasoning stating that the law allows them to vote as long as there is a group of at least five other people involved.

“Can I just point something out, we are not voting on a pay raise this evening, we are voting on the budget,” said Amy Roberts, Vienna’s Finance Director.

“Raises are voted on down the road at a later time,” Roberts said.

The comment caused some confusion, as the financial gains are included in the budget, which was passed at Tuesday’s meeting.

“Council votes to allocate the funds, then council will later have to determine how the pay raise is implemented,” Skogstad explained.

Skogstad further explained that the budget is like the framework, the money will be there for the line items, but can be taken out and moved at a different time to whatever council want to move it to.

In other business, the next council meeting will be a regular council Session scheduled for March 28 at 7 p.m. The special session originally scheduled for this Thursday has been canceled.