Mayor John Havrilla, who’s been at the helm since the September death of Donald Walker, spearheaded the approval at the city council meeting.
“This is not the controversy of a couple of months ago,” said Havrilla, referring to an earlier failed attempt to raise the mayor’s annual salary to $125,000.
He then went through the process, from the proposal in late 2006 through the Jan. 4, 2007 approval by the council. The new salary was effective Jan. 1, 2008.
Earlier this year the council’s action was called into question by Walker himself, who said then there were legal questions about the appropriateness of the raise.
City Attorney Jim Elliott Jr. said the city sought legal opinions and relied on Jimmy Skipper, state representative and city attorney for Americus. Skipper analyzed similar cases going all the way back to 1917 and 1941, Elliott said.
Though the process in 2007 wasn’t perfect, Havrilla said, Skipper said there was “substantial compliance” on the part of council and the action should stand.
There were three criteria met for the action, Havrilla continued.
First, it did not occur in a “blackout period” before qualifying for an election; second, a city election took place in 2007 before the action was in force; and third, the raise was advertised at least three times in the city’s legal organ.
The council’s action Monday “memorialized” the council vote of January 2007 that raised the mayor’s salary and validated the intention of council members of the time to do so, Havrilla said.
“This is the right thing to do,” Havrilla said, “and it will give the incoming administration a clean sheet.”
In addition, failure to approve the raise would mean incoming Mayor Chuck Shaheen and candidates Chuck Chalk and Clifford Holmes would need to be refunded $1,590 each in qualifying fees, he said, because the fees were predicated on a salary of $100,000.
“We did look at both sides,” Havrilla said before the vote. “This action is a proper course and the right thing to do.”
In other action Monday, the council:
° approved more than $143,000 in purchases and contracts recommended by the city’s purchasing department. Material included software for the police department, a forklift for the central receiving operation, billboard advertising, office supplies and maintenance contracts.
° approved, after a second reading, the new sign ordinance. The new ordinance is more in compliance with state law and adopts a standard that signage on buildings should total 15 percent of a building’s façade.
° approved a 3 percent salary increase for full-time city employees.
° approved an agreement with Houston County for the county to conduct water quality testing.
° approved $786,000 for lights to be installed on the median of Russell Parkway Extension between South Houston Lake Road and I-75. The funds would come from the 2006 SPLOST vote passed by voters.
° approved nearly $300,000 for resurfacing Houston Lake Road south from Watson Boulevard to Russell Parkway. The final bid for the project was nearly $50,000 more than what council approved in October, and $17,075 for the project was moved from a street maintenance account of the 2001 SPLOST.
Before the council gathering, a meeting of the city’s Redevelopment Agency took place in the council workroom.
The council approved a lease between the city and Meldinos LLC for $1,700 a month. The company will operate a pizza restaurant in the Commercial Circle area.
Mark Baker also told council members that in the coming years the city has to be aware of maintenance costs and put aside sufficient money in the budget to handle such expenses.
Council member Terry Horton suggested putting aside about 25 percent of the monthly rental fee to handle maintenance.
The council took no action on a proposed land sale of lots at the Village at Town Centre to Scherer Construction Co.
Post a Comment