An ordinance that links the salary of McMinnville aldermen to attendance will go into effect with the passing of the 2013-14 fiscal budget.
Causing controversy during its first successful reading before the board, it passed without discussion unanimously the second time Tuesday night. Mayor Jimmy Haley, Vice Mayor Ben Newman, and Aldermen Mike Neal, Ken Smith, Jimmy Bonner, Rick Barnes and Billy Wood, all voted in favor of it.
The measure links monthly compensation given to aldermen to the board meetings attended to prevent abuse of office by missing meetings and continuing to get paid $400 a month – a situation that occurred with the prior board.
Salary would be linked to attendance in that any official missing more than six board meetings, which amounts to 25 percent, in a fiscal year would begin to forfeit salary for subsequent meetings missed.
A member who accrues the 25 percent absentee rate would forfeit the entire $400 during the following month if one meeting were scheduled and missed. The forfeiture would be pro-rated between meetings if more than one meeting were scheduled in a given month.
Wood, who voiced his objection to the measure on more than one occasion and voted against it on first read, gave up the fight.
“I said my peace and voiced my objection,” Wood said after the meeting. “You pick your battles and let it go. We have more important things to worry about. Not the least of which is condemning us to higher taxes with a runaway spending project.”
During the first read, Wood attempted to amend the measure to reduce aldermen compensation to $1 a year. Wood maintains public servants should work for free, but his motion did not receive a second.
Per state law, changes to an alderman’s salary cannot go into effect before the passing of the budget that year. The mayor’s salary was not included in the change.