A plan to dig into city savings to pay for $2-per-hour raises for Jackson public works employees did not muster enough support Tuesday from the City Council.
Before a council chamber filled with city workers, officials exchanged heated remarks and then voted down the plan in a 3-3 vote. It was the third time the council has voted on the raises.
Councilmen Frank Bluntson, Kenneth Stokes and Charles Tillman supported the pay increase. They were met with audience applause when they said low-paid public works employees deserved the raise immediately.
“Let’s be fair,” Bluntson said. “Let’s treat people the way we want to be treated.”
Council President Leslie Burl McLemore said his colleagues were pandering to the crowd. He voted against the raise along with Councilmen Marshand Crisler and Jeff Weill, saying the city cannot afford it.
Magnolia Tribune
