The Baxter Council approved a $1 per hour wage increase for all city employees during a special called meeting Wednesday.
The board also approved the state-recommended property tax rate of .692. Councilman Willie Allison said the council has a long-standing history of avoiding tax hikes for the community. Allison said he wanted to commend the city staff for their work on the budget.
“It’s my 16th year and we’ve never raised taxes and I’m glad we ain’t doing it now,” Allison said. “So that was a good motion. You know, every year that I’m here, I’ve always pulled for this.for the employees to get their raises.”
Mayor Danny Holmes said the decision to revert to the state-recommended rate followed a public hearing where officials initially discussed a higher rate of .882 to fund capital projects.
The certified tax rate was intended to generate approximately $150,000 in additional revenue. The funds were originally earmarked for the general fund to cover rising costs and specific needs, such as a $100,000 salt storage building and new radios for the fire department.
Council Member Dustin Stanton said the pay increase was necessary to support the staff, specifically mentioning the dedication of long-term employees like Tommy Buford.
“I personally believe that the part-timers are… are just as important as the full-timers,” Allison said. “I mean, uh, they… they deserve a raise also.”
Stanton said the city must prioritize its workers, noting that Buford has devoted 25 years of service to Baxter and works seven days a week. Stanton said he was unhappy when he learned the raises for part-time staff had been briefly removed from the budget draft before the final vote.
“He’s going to be a hard man to replace,” Stanton said. “But, his raise is very well deserving.”
Holmes said the budget process involved many hours of adjustments to balance the needs of the city with the desire to keep taxes low.
“I’m very happy with this council tonight, not raising any taxes,” Holmes said.