Benton mayor announces pay boost

Benton Mayor David Mattingly knows how to get a round of applause from city employees: Give them a pay raise.

During a Thursday morning meeting at the Benton Municipal Complex, Mattingly announced a 3.5 percent cost-of-living pay raise for employees who are paid from the city's general fund. The raise affects about 155 full- and part-time employees.

City employees, including members of Benton's fire and police departments, crowded into the Benton City Council chambers for Mattingly's announcement.

The pay increase, which went into effect Wednesday, is the third pay raise for city employees since 2012.

City employees saw a 2 percent pay increase in 2012, and a 4.1 percent pay raise in 2014. There was no pay bump in 2013.

The city's strong financial standing made the pay increase possible, Mattingly said.

"As I look around at other communities and other counties ... this is something to be very, very proud of because there are some that are struggling," Mattingly said.

"If we can't budget and take care of our employees, we can't budget and take care of anything."

After all the financial talk, Mattingly brought a touch of levity to the meeting by introducing the city's new mascot: "Ben from Benton."

The big-headed inflatable mascot is manned by a volunteer inside.

"Ben" is meant to appeal to both children and businesses, and put a face on Benton's economic development.

"Ben was born a few days ago," Mattingly said, garnering laughs from the audience. "I don't know what to say about his mother. Ben's going to be a lot of places."

State Desk on 07/03/2015