Council Passes on Pay Raises
Faced with a budget deficit and the prospect of laying off more workers, the Carson City Council will temporarily forgo a pay increase until the city’s financial picture improves.
Council members, who earn about $9,800 annually, routinely approve a 10% pay increase every two years. But on Tuesday, council members voted 3 to 1 to place this year’s raise into the city’s general fund for an indefinite period of time.
Councilwoman Vera Robles DeWitt voted against the raise, and Councilwoman Juanita McDonald abstained.
“The budget is tight,” Councilwoman Sylvia L. Muise said. “It’s very difficult to rationalize a pay increase for elected officials when we may be asking others to give up money.’
The city has tallied a $500,000 budget shortfall in the first three months of this fiscal year, which began in July. Carson laid off seven full-time temporary workers earlier this month, and city officials are considering more layoffs.
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