The city lawmakers voted unanimously to approve pay request number six to Hemphill Construction Company for the installation of the city’s new radio-read water meters.
Victor Smith of Gardner Engineering said the project is still moving forward. “As of now, we’ve actually considered about 88 to 89 percent of the job is done.”
The aldermen directed several questions to Smith regarding the installation process and the operation of the meters. Smith deduced that the most current issue was that the level on some of the meters had to be raised in order to get a proper reading.
Rosenthal said the workers are currently completing the readings for the entire city in about a day and a half, but he anticipates a reduction in that time. “Once they get comfortable with it, they’ll read them all in a day,” he said.
Rosenthal said the old meters are being sold to a group that is sending them to China to be refurbished. “So where we were only getting, say a dollar for scrap, we’re getting like four dollars,” he said.
The Aldermen also approved a $5 rate increase from $10 to $15 for accident reports.
Brock wants the city to consider a pay increase for the public works employees. “The public works department is just as equally important to the citizens as the police department. The police department go out and put they life on the line, the public works department has to go down in them sewage holes and clean up and take care of all of the other things so I think it would be feasible that we increase or give them an adjustable amount to increase they pay,” he said.
Brock said that the worker’s current rate of pay, $8.24 to $8.50, is “substandard.” He is proposing a $1.50 to $2.50 per hour increase. Rosenthal said he agrees with Brock with regard to “certain employees” but referencing the police department, he asserted that the increase should be based on the acquisition of certain credentials and skill levels.
He added that the rates that Brock quoted were based on unskilled labor and he suggested that the alderman conduct some research to see what other municipalities are paying unskilled labor.
Woods mentioned a prior recommendation he made to hire a consultant, but also asserted that the department heads usually make recommendations on what an employee should be paid, noting that was what Chief Hall did.
He further stated, “I think the minimum wage for the whole city ought to be $10 that way we won’t have that problem.” Rosenthal said he would get with the Stennis Institute about conducting the research and get a cost estimate. Brock said he would also perform some research to provide something to compare. No further action was taken.
After emerging from a closed executive session the aldermen voted unanimously to pay citizen Ronnie Ward an undisclosed amount based on a repair estimate for damage to his truck in lieu of litigation.
