Elmer City passes budget and raises

Elmer City passed its 2015 budget last Thursday night — barely.

The $674,662.80 budget passed with a 3-2 vote. A large portion of the budget, $244,971, is pass-through money that will come in 2015 from the state’s Transportation Improvement Board for a street and sidewalk project scheduled for 2016.

The budget and council meeting took a dark turn as the lights went out just as the meeting was scheduled to begin. Out came the flashlights, but within 10 minutes the lights came on again.

The budget passed after some intense budget workshop meetings as two council members, Jeff DeWinkler and Donna DeWinkler (husband and wife) opposed the budget because of salary increases for the town’s two employees.

The town budget also shows a rate increase for water and sewer for 2015.

Councilmember Larry Holford made it clear that the town council was not raising rates to pay for the salary increases.

Mayor Gail Morin also stated that water and sewer increases were necessary because the town had not kept pace with increased cost of utility delivery.

The DeWinklers, who voted against the budget, took aim at the salary increases. At the budget workshop a few weeks ago they had asked for time to check with other towns to see what they were paying employees.

In doing so they had determined that Elmer City employees were making enough as it is.

Town Clerk Renee Tillman currently makes $18.50 an hour; and public works director Jimmer Tillman currently makes $17 an hour. The budget will allow the town to pay both the identical rate of $19.50 an hour.

The utility increases, not tied to the salary increases according to town officials, will see monthly water rates go from $27 a month to $29 a month, and the sewer rates move from $38 a month to $41 a month.