Gainesboro Aldermen discussed potentially increasing the salary for the mayor’s position during its Thursday night meeting.
According to the town’s charter, the mayor is compensated $25 a year. Mayor Lloyd Williams said he wanted to discuss the position as he does not plan to run again.
“I just thought I was going to be cutting ribbons,” Williams said. “Within six months, I told them that they need to pay somebody or pay a city manager because it’s a job. And I told them I didn’t want it, but that’s what they need to do. And I am done doing this, so I really think that there should be some looking into having somebody that can give it the time and effort that it needs.”
Williams said he is not advising the aldermen to compensate the mayor’s position with a full-time salary. Alderman Deborah Whitaker suggested having a workshop to determine what salary increase the town could give.
“We need a workshop where we can explore who has salaried mayors, what their job descriptions are,” Whitaker said. “I think we need a time when we can have information, so that we can make a good decision that works for us.”
Alderman Beth Young agreed with Whitaker, saying the town needs to see what it can afford and clearly state the mayor’s responsibilities. Whitaker said it would benefit the city if the town had a mayor who had more time to attend meetings.
Williams said the town could not approve a salary increase without approval from the state.
“If somebody wants to look into it, we’ve got to have it done by a certain time for it to be in effect,” Williams said. “I know I wasn’t supposed to come in here and say I am supposed to make $20,000, and you all say yes.”
Town Attorney Kayla Collins Cantrell said MTAS was supposed to help the town update its charter after helping update the town’s codes book, but they have not heard back from them. Cantrell said several portions of the charter need updating.