The new salary ordinance for the city of Knox is one step closer to being adopted, as the city council this week approved the ordinance on its seconded reading. The salary ordinance includes raises for all elected officials and salaried employees. Mayor Rick Chambers explained that a few corrections needed to be reflected in the ordinance before it was passed on its second reading, and those changes were reflected in the reading passed unanimously by the council last night.
Chambers said the council noted some typographical errors and addition errors. While the total amounts were correct, Chambers explained that the ordinance did not increase the three Board of Zoning Appeals members’ pay by three percent each; the ordinance laid out three BZA members to be paid $491 each for an annual total of $1517 – a simple addition error that Chambers said would be corrected before the next reading. The BZA members should receive $505 each, properly reflecting that three percent increase.
The council discussed how the clerk’s, city attorney’s, mayor’s and council’s salaries were to be paid, and Chambers said the city acted on a recommendation by Umbaugh and Associates to split their expenses between the city’s general fund and the funds for the waste water and water departments. He explained this was based on rate studies that had been performed a few years ago in an effort to take pressure off the general fund.
The council will vote on the ordinance’s third reading at their next meeting on July 9.
