BENTONVILLE — The mayor and city clerk salaries will see an increase beginning Jan. 1.
The City Council approved the pay raises at Tuesday's meeting. The mayor's salary will increase $10,038 to $125,000. The mayor's car allowance also will increase $1,584 to $7,200.
At A Glance
Council Action
The Bentonville City Council met Tuesday and approved:
• A contract with Crafton, Tull & Associates to design a sidewalk on Southeast Sixth Street between South Main and Southeast E Street.
• A contract with CEI Engineering Associates for survey, engineering and consulting on improvements and aprons for the municipal airport.
• A budget adjustment of $26,220 for improvement at the airport.
• An $25,000 agreement with Hight Jackson and Associates for plans for North Walton Boulevard Enhancement Plan.
• Hansen’s Tree Service’s $90,000 bid for grinding services at the compost facility.
• A contract with Mercy Health Systems for Fire Department staff’s yearly physicals.
• Spending $10,000 for equipment for Fire Department personnel to wear in case of an active shooter/rescue task force incident.
• Altec’s $269,480 bid for a digger derrick truck.
• Nunnally Chevrolet’s $36,953 bid for a 1-ton cab/chassis truck.
Source: Staff report
By The Numbers
Mayor Salaries
• Rogers: $124,557, $7,200 car allowance, phone is provided
• Bentonville: $114,962, $5,616 car allowance, $748 phone allowance
• Springdale: $111,227
• Fayetteville: $107,439
City Council Salaries
• Fayetteville: $12,504
• Springdale: $10,200
• Rogers: $8,985
• Bentonville: $8,713
City Attorney
• Rogers: $113,719
• Fayetteville: $112,507
• Springdale: $101,898
• Bentonville: $18,572 (part-time)
City Clerk
• Springdale: $77,922
• Fayetteville: $67,995
• Rogers: $66,605
• Bentonville: $8,579 (part-time)
Source: City of Bentonville
The city clerk position will increase $3,421 to $12,000 annually. The position is part-time.
The Human Resources Department surveyed salaries in Rogers, Springdale, Fayetteville and Jonesboro to see how the city compared.
There are variables such as health benefits, time worked and amount of budgets that make a comparison hard, explained Ed Wheeler, human resources manager.
"Overall, our numbers compared pretty well with other municipalities," he told the council.
Eddie Austin, a former alderman suggested during the 2008 budget process the council review the pay of elected officials before the next election cycle, according to agenda documents.
"Since no one is elected yet, no one is changing their own salary," said Mayor Bob McCaslin. "That was the rationale behind this."
All positions -- mayor, clerk, city attorney and council members -- will be on the ballot in this year's general election.
Elected officials also were added to the amended personnel policy in 2008 to receive the annual cost of living adjustment if one was given.
The city clerk, city attorney and mayor's pay haven't increased, other than for the annual cost of living adjustment, since then.
Jim Grider, Ward 4 alderman, recommended no change to the mayor's salary. Revenue hasn't been coming in as strong as this time last year, he said.
Shane Perry, Ward 2 alderman, said the responsibilities of the Bentonville mayor are more than Rogers, for example, and Bentonville's budget is bigger, he said.
"I think our mayor's job is a bigger job," Perry said.
A couple of times discussion focused on McCaslin and his qualifications rather than the position, and he was quick to bring council members back to focus.
"Let's not make this about me or what I do," McCaslin said. "I'm not lobbying with you either way."
Grider said McCaslin was a great mayor but was concerned the next person to fill the role wouldn't be as qualified.
The mayor is the CEO position of the community. The person serving that position is doing so out of service; but the job also has value, and it's the council's job to value it appropriately, Perry said.
It's common in other cities for the departments to be run by commissions rather than the mayor, said Chris Sooter, Ward 1 alderman. The Bentonville mayor is running the whole city as he oversees each department.
"That's a big difference in responsibility," Sooter said.
Roger Thomas, Ward 2 alderman, recommended the $10,038 increase and $1,584 car allowance increase.
"That's a normal package for this position," he said.
All eight council members agreed.
Mary Baggett, Ward 1 alderwoman, said the city clerk was underpaid and recommended the increase to $12,000 a year.
City Attorney George Spence advised the council to not adjust the attorney's salary. He explained his "unique relationship" with administrative staff and mayor wouldn't exist with a new attorney, and it made him more valuable but not necessarily his position.
The council voted in March 2012 to increase council members pay from $5,827 to $8,400 per year.
Bill Burckart, Ward 3 alderman, proffered the idea council members could partake in a cost-share on insurance rather than a pay increase.
It would be more beneficial than a salary increase since it's more viable to be insured through a group rather than individually through the market, he said.
It's something that would require research but that should be considered, Grider said.
Many municipalities already offer that, and it would be easy to do, Wheeler said, adding he could get more information for council members within the next couple of days.
NW News on 03/12/2014