In a split vote, the Festus City Council recently approved pay increases for the mayor, council members and municipal treasurer.
With the raises, the mayor and council members will see their monthly pay increase by $200, from $600 to $800 for the mayor and from $300 to $500 for the council members. The treasurer will get a $100 monthly raise, from $150 to $250.
The pay increases won’t take effect until after the next election for each position.
The last time the council voted to raise the pay for the mayor, council members and treasurer was in 2016, Mayor Sam Richards said.
Council members voted 5-2 Oct. 23 to approve the most recent pay increases. Those who voted in favor of the raises were Dave Boyer and Jim Collier of Ward 1, Bobby Venz and Kevin Dennis of Ward 3 and Jim Tinnin of Ward 4. Those who voted against the increases were Staci Templeton and Brian Wehner of Ward 2. Ward 4 Councilman Mike Cook was absent from the meeting.
The motion first appeared on the council’s Oct. 10 meeting agenda, but Templeton requested that a second reading and vote on the matter be held over until the next meeting.
On Oct. 23, Templeton said she voted against the motion because she felt they were too high.
“I just felt it was a little more than I was comfortable with,” she said. “I believe the council should be compensated but should only make adjustments as needed.”
Boyer said he voted for the pay increases because of all the work and time required of the city’s elected officials.
“First of all, the city is growing in leaps and bounds with new businesses and housing,” he said. “The responsibilities are increasing. It’s been (seven) years since the last increase.
“We’ll get calls, emails, texts, letters in the mail from the public with issues. We are quick to respond to see which department would be responsible for fixing the issue. We go out (to investigate) at our own expense.
“It was time for a raise.”