By Staff
Leada Gore, Hartselle Enquirer
Hartselle’s next mayor will make $55,000-a-year, more than double the pay of the current municipal top official.
The city council unanimously approved the increase Tuesday night. Current Mayor Dwight Tankersley currently earns $24,000.
The increase comes on the heels of a personnel study conducted by an outside firm last year. The study recommended the pay increase but city officials held off on giving the raises. Sitting councils cannot raise their own salaries or that of the mayor’s. All pay increases must be in place at least six months before an election and will only take effect for the next administration.
In addition to the pay increase, the mayor will be eligible for health care insurance and will receive an annual travel allowance of $4,200.
The pay for the council president and council members also changed. The next council president will earn $9,500, an increase from $7,500. Future council members will earn $8,000 a year, up from the current $6,000 a year.
Pay for elected officials - especially that of the mayor - has been the topic of conversation for the past several administrations. The previous council discussed the idea of increasing mayoral pay, saying the city needed to pay more in order to allow more people to consider taking the job. Those plans never developed.
There is some precedent for higher pay for Hartselle’s mayor. City President Kenny Thompson said the mayor’s pay was once $34,000 before it was lowered.