ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, May 30, 1996 TAG: 9605300075
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DAN CASEY STAFF WRITER
THE CLOSED MEETING at which council gave itself more money may have been illegal, but most members say they deserved the increase.
When City Council members revisit the issue Monday of granting themselves a pay raise, don't expect them to give it back.
A majority of council members say the raises were justified - they just went about enacting them the wrong way.
"I don't expect them to undo [the raises], just to go back and try to make them legal," said Councilman Wendell Butler, whose term expires June 30 and who wouldn't benefit from the pay raise, anyway.
The increases - $1,000 annually for council members, bringing their pay to $14,000; $3,000 for the mayor, bringing his salary to $18,000 - passed on a 5-1 vote May 13 after the issue arose during a closed meeting about pay raises for top city administrators.
Under the state Freedom of Information Act, council must take a public vote to discuss a topic behind closed doors. Even then, discussion must be limited to that item. No prior public vote was taken to go into closed session to discuss council salaries.
There also is doubt about whether council could legally meet at all in closed session on that issue. The state law allows such meetings for discussing salaries of "specific public officers," rather than classes of elected officials.
In an unusual step May 22, council members unanimously agreed to revisit the issue after The Roanoke Times questioned the legality of the closed meeting and the subsequent council pay raises.
The May 13 vote boosted pay for council members by 7.7 percent effective in July. The last salary increase they saw was in 1990. The mayor's pay went up 20 percent, the first change since 1987.
Butler says he believes the raises were justified, although he has heard a different take on the matter from some residents.
"I've heard the people complain," Butler said. "I guess they felt the council members weren't due a raise, that they didn't merit a raise. That's the attitude that I've picked up, although I don't agree with it."
Councilman Mac McCadden, who also retires June 30, believes a salary increase is proper. But he voted against the pay raise May 13 because the public had no advance notice of it.
"Council deserves a pay raise - I believe that," McCadden said. "But I think we need to be more above board about it. ... This way, at least the public knows it's coming."
Vice Mayor William White, Councilwoman Linda Wyatt and Councilman Jack Parrott said they would support the previously approved raises.
"That would be my feeling," White said. "I wouldn't want to change anything, I would want to do the same thing we did - just do it in public."
White said he has seen one letter on the issue complaining about the raise, but no one has complained to him about it personally.
"Everybody I've talked to says, 'Yeah, you deserve it, and maybe even a little bit more,''' White said.
Mayor David Bowers did not return telephone calls for comment. Councilwoman Elizabeth Bowles could not be reached.
LENGTH: Medium: 62 linesby CNB