MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Call it a late Christmas gift.
City of Memphis employees may be on the path to getting a raise.
Mayor A C Wharton made the announcement during a New Year’s day prayer breakfast, but some question if the city can afford it.
The mayor said in his announcement he wanted to give employees raises, but there is no guarantee there will be raises.
Wharton said this is a beginning to see if the money is there.
“The whole language was chosen carefully. Let’s begin the process of ascertaining of how we can restore the pay cuts that have been made,” said Wharton.
Friday, Wharton hinted at how the city might find money to give city employees a raise.
“We wanted to give everyone the chance to weigh-in. Are there efficiencies are there ways you can change your operations so that you can free up money by becoming more efficient,” said Wharton.
“Bringing up a pay increase without details on how to do it in a budget crisis is, I think, just playing for an audience,” said City Councilman Jim Strickland.
The first time Strickland heard the plan was Thursday.
“Although the employees deserve a raise, and I really do hope it can work out, I really do question about how we can afford it,” said Strickland.
City employees haven’t had a raise since 2009.
While the city council spent the past year questioning the mayor’s openness, Councilman Myron Lowery trusts the money is there.
Lowery said, “The administration knows where dollars may be found. They know today what our last quarter, well they will know in a few days, what our last quarter revenues where and expenses.”
There was no talk of possible raises when the mayor proposed controversial health care cuts or during the heated pension fund debates.
Strickland believes he knows why the mayor is bringing it up now, “The mayor is up for re-election in 10 months. This was a politically opportune time to bring this up and I think that’s the reason for it. I think it’s fairly obvious.”
The mayor said there’s more to it than politics.
