Andrews – The town may have to hold off a year on a pay raise for the mayor and aldermen after a former alderman and failed mayoral candidate expressed concerns on the move’s legality.
The Andrews Board of Aldermen approved a $100 pay raise for each member as well as Mayor James Reid at its Nov. 9 meeting, following a closed session lasting about an hour. The raise was approved 3-1, with Alderman Steve Jordan casting the sole nay vote.
However, following the meeting former Alderman Randy Hogsed expressed concerns about the legality of the raise, citing N.C. General Statute 160A-64, which states that a mayor and municipal board may only vote to raise its pay as part of the municipality’s annual regular budget.
“The council may fix its own compensation and compensation of the mayor by adoption of the annual budget ordinance,” reads a passage from the statute.
Two opinions Hogsed subsequently received from the N.C. School of Government seem to back up his belief.
Andrews Mayor James Reid said he was aware of the situation and that if it was confirmed that if the move was illegal, the raise would likely be added to the next fiscal year’s budget.
“If that is the only time we can give a raise, we can go ahead and do it, but we won’t be able to implement it until the next budget,” Reid said.
Reid said he told the board to make sure every move it made was legal.
“I told them, ‘You’ve got to cross your t’s and dot your i’s,’ “ Reid said. “Every move you make has got to be legal and what have you.”
Not including the raise, the mayor’s salary is $600 a month, while board members’ salaries are $400 a month.
In a blog post, Kara Millonzi, the Robert W. Bradshaw Jr. Distinguished Professor of Public Law & Government at the N.C. School of Government, further addressed the issue, citing 160A-64 and several other chapters from the general statute.
Other chapters in the general statutes allow a board to raise its own pay, except as otherwise required by law. That brings the issue back to 160A-64, which states that it can only be done as part of the budget.
In addition, the board voted unanimously to hire an additional part-time officer for the Andrews Police Department, bringing the total number of sworn officers up to seven.
“I could not be happier with the way the police department is turning out,” Reid said. “It’s great leadership. Everything’s going in a good direction.”