FARMINGTON -- The City Council doubled the mayor's salary because he plans to do the job full time.
The council increased the salary from $36,000 to $72,000, effective Jan. 1.
Mayor Ernie Penn, who recommended the increase, said he was asking the council to approve the new salary this month so he could give his employer, Arvest Bank, 90 days' notice. Penn has worked for Arvest 42 years.
The 6-2 vote followed more than 90 minutes of discussion at Monday's council meeting, which included Penn's opening statement outlining the reason for the salary increase, comments by each council member and public comment.
Council members Patsy Pike, Sherry Mathews, Keith Lipford, Brenda Cunningham, Bobby Morgan and Shelly Parsley voted for the new salary. Members Linda Bell and Diane Bryant voted against it.
Council members and the public generally supported the mayor and the proposal. Several people questioned the amount of the increase and the potential redundancy of also having a business manager.
Many spoke in support of Penn and what he has done for the city. Department heads and staff said how it would help the city to have Penn available full time at City Hall.
Penn said he doesn't think people realize how much of his time is spent on city matters. The mayor's position is 24 hours, seven days a week, Penn said.
"My workload at the city is to the point I cannot balance two full-time jobs," he said.
The city has been fortunate Arvest allows him the time to conduct his mayoral duties, Penn said. Many times, residents stop by to talk to him at the bank, call him, text him or email him.
Penn supported his request for a $72,000 annual salary by saying he has 16 years of experience as mayor and has brought financial stability to the city and leadership of which the city can be proud. City services have grown during his tenure, along with a new library, ballpark, residential and commercial growth and land gifts.
Future projects include a new public works building and major improvements to Creekside Park.
Sherry Mathews acknowledged she's been one of the people who went to Arvest to talk to Penn about city matters.
"I feel like he's already a full-time mayor, and I feel like we should acknowledge this," Mathews said.
Four council members -- Keith Lipford, Linda Bell, Bobby Morgan and Diane Bryant -- expressed concerns.
Bell and Bryant questioned why Farmington would need both a full-time city business manager, Melissa McCarville, and full-time mayor. Bell said her research through Arkansas Municipal League showed cities usually don't have both until their population reach about 50,000. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the 2016 population is about 6,800, up from 3,600 in 2000.
"To spend $200,000 to run a city this size just doesn't make good financial sense," Bell said.
Jeff Bates, an engineer from Farmington, said he has worked with the city on many projects. Bates said McCarville and Penn do "two completely different things" at the city. There are times, Bates said, McCarville has to defer decisions to Penn.
McCarville said a lot of responsibilities fall to her as city business manager, such as planning and work to assist engineers. She has taken over the financial side of the city, which includes payroll, paying bills, reconciliation of accounts and keeping track of the budget.
"There are plenty of duties to do," McCarville said, adding she would like to pass off all the financial work to Penn, who has years of experience in that area.
City ordinance sets the salary for the office of mayor at $36,000-$72,000. Penn has been paid $36,000 for the past four years. Penn will not receive health insurance benefits because the Arkansas Municipal League doesn't provide health insurance for elected officials older than 65. Penn turns 65 in November. He will receive retirement benefits, along with other city elected officials.
NW News on 09/13/2018