Raises for Parkersburg elected officials likely off board for four years
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PARKERSBURG -- The removal of two ordinances and a resolution addressing elected officials' pay from Tuesday's Parkersburg City Council agenda means the salaries for the mayor and council members are likely to remain unchanged for the next four years.
State law prohibits elected officials' pay from being adjusted in their current term of office. With only one regular council meeting left in 2024 and two readings required to pass an ordinance, there won't be an opportunity to bring the issues up again without a special meeting.
City Clerk Connie Shaffer announced at the start of Tuesday's meeting that ordinances increasing the mayor's pay from $90,000 to $97,000 and council members' from $6,000 to $9,000 would not be voted on.
Council President Mike Reynolds said after the meeting that two members pulled their sponsorship of the ordinances and a resolution allocating $20,171 to cover those increases for the rest of the fiscal year. An item must have at least three sponsors to get on the agenda.
Reynolds, who co-sponsored the legislation with Councilwoman Jesse Cottrille and Councilman Bob Mercer, said Wednesday he did not withdraw his sponsorship.
Attempts to contact Cottrille, who was absent from the meeting, and Mercer were unsuccessful Wednesday.
The council raise ordinance included a provision setting aside $12,500 for future employee raises. Reynolds previously said it was not for any specific group of employees, but sanitation workers had requested pay increases at the Nov. 26 meeting when ordinances raising the mayor's pay to $110,000 and tying council's raise to meeting attendance were on the agenda but not taken up.
Although the legislation was pulled, sanitation workers and city residents addressed the raises for elected officials and pay for sanitation employees during Tuesday's public forum.
"You've done hard work, and I honestly feel like if at any point in time there is a pay raise agenda brought back up again for you guys, council, you do deserve it, but it needs an addendum on it," Parkersburg resident Christina Anderson said. "You only get paid if you show for the meetings. My representative in eight years has only missed one meeting. How many of you can say that about your own attendance?"
The original proposal at the Nov. 26 meeting would have paid council members an additional $125 per regular or special meeting attended, up to $3,000 a year on top of the $6,000 base salary. Although there was no attendance component in the ordinance originally on Tuesday's agenda, Reynolds said previously he anticipated there might be amendments.
Sanitation employee Justin Davis said he found through research that his job is considered the fifth most dangerous in the United States, but sanitation is the lowest paid city department.
After the meeting, Mayor Tom Joyce said he encourages anybody who can go out and make a better wage for themselves to do so.
"But I am tasked, and Mr. Reynolds and all the rest of the City Council are tasked with a big picture approach to our budget, our compensation," he said.
Salary for sanitation workers ranges from $27,200 to $42,074 a year, according to the municipal budget.
Joyce said the total cost of employing an individual making $29,616 is $61,821 when factors like pension and insurance are considered.
In other business, council unanimously approved a resolution allocating $594,904 from the city's investment pool income to cover lease payments to the Municipal Building Commission for the new recreation center in City Park and replacement for Fire Station 3 off Seventh Street. It also allocated $24,000 in opioid settlement funds to Westbrook Health Services for medication lock boxes.
Ordinances passed on final reading authorizing the finance director to conduct an online auction of city property and amending city code with regard to electrical work.
Staff reporter Gwen Sour contributed to this story.
Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.