An ordinance that would fix the 2019 salaries for Plymouth elected officials met opposition Tuesday night.
City Attorney Sean Surrisi presented the ordinance as submitted by City Councilman Don Ecker, Jr. who said he consulted with all council members on the ordinance prior to consideration on first reading Tuesday night. The ordinance would allow an increase of 3.5 percent to the salaries for the mayor and clerk-treasurer and a freeze on the salary for the council members for the second year in a row.
The salaries for the mayor and clerk-treasurer were frozen in 2018 due to the loss two of the biggest industries in Del Monte and Bay Valley Foods.
Councilman Gary Cook thought that a two percent increase would be sufficient, citing the number of businesses and industry that have left the city this year and the loss of tax revenue. He noted that the city employees also received a two percent increase in 2019.
Ecker, Jr. responded by saying that in a recent study of salaries the mayor’s salary and the clerk-treasurer’s salary are well below the average for other communities the size of Plymouth. As for the loss of businesses, Ecker, Jr. said there were management decisions that were outside of the city’s control and the city has been able to operate in the black and everyone is being held accountable for maintaining finances.
He added the 3.5 percent increase helps balance it all out.
In a point of order, Surrisi stated that if there is an objection to an ordinance that is introduced then a council member could make a motion to strike the ordinance for further consideration by a two-thirds vote of all elected officials. That would be five of the seven council members. There were only five council members in attendance Tuesday night so it would have taken a unanimous vote to strike the ordinance. Cook made the motion to strike the ordinance, but it failed for a lack of a second. With that, the ordinance will move to the council’s next meeting on second reading and open for more discussion.
