This pie chart shows where funds are being allocated to as part of Greenwood’s $64.7 million proposed 2024 budget.
Noah Crenshaw | Daily Journal
The Greenwood City Council approved the city’s nearly $64.7 million budget Monday night, though they decided to scrap planned raises for some elected officials.
Council members voted 8-1 to approve the city’s 2024 budget, with council member Brad Pendleton being the only no vote. They also voted unanimously 9-0 to pass a salary ordinance for the appointed officers and employees, along with issuing general obligation bonds to pay for certain expenses next year.
Raises for the city clerk, city court judge, mayor and the city council itself were more controversial. Four amendments — one for each office — were offered by Pendleton to remove raises for 2024. Three of the amendments passed and were included in the final ordinances, meaning that the city court judge, mayor and city council members’ 2023 pay will remain the same for 2024.
City Clerk Jeannine Myers was the only elected official to receive a 5% pay increase, increasing her salary from $73,321 in 2023 to $76,987 in 2024.
When asked by council member Ron Bates why he authored the amendments, Pendleton cited conversations about staffing shortages and needing money for public safety.
“I just don’t think it’s appropriate for elected officials to see a pay increase,” he said.
Throughout the budget approval process, city council members had been debating approving a maximum property tax levy appeal to provide more funds to public safety. That appeal passed 7-2 on Monday, with Bates and council member Dave Lekse voting against.
The council had also unanimously approved a temporary policy change for the Greenwood Police Department, allowing officers to request paid time off pay instead of leave. This was requested due to staffing issues in the department, and concerns that officers will be forced to not use their leave time or call in and leave GPD short-staffed.
Pendleton first attempted to remove the city clerk’s raise for 2024 during Monday’s meeting, which failed 4-5. Bates and council members Erin Betron, Mike Campbell, Linda Gibson and David Hopper voted against it. The final ordinance passed 7-2 with Pendleton and Williams against it.
Incoming City Court Judge Drew Foster was initially set to receive a 5% pay increase next year, raising the position’s pay from $114,251 to $119,964. The amendment to remove the raise and keep it at $114,251 passed 6-3, with Campbell, Gibson and Hopper voting against it. The final ordinance passed unanimously.
Mayor Mark Myers was initially set to receive a pay increase of 5%, raising it from $107,965 to $113,364. The amendment to remove the raise passed 6-3, with Campbell, Gibson and Hopper voting against it. The final ordinance passed 8-1, with Gibson voting against it, so Myers’ pay will remain at $107,965.
City council members were budgeted for a 2.5% pay increase, raising their pay from $13,058 to $13,385. For the council president, a position which is determined by the body at the start of each year, the pay increase was also 2.5%, raising that member’s pay from $14,258 to $14,615.
The amendment to remove the raises passed 7-2, with Gibson and Hopper voting against it. The final ordinance passed unanimously, meaning that council members’ pay will stay at $13,058 and the council president’s pay will stay at $14,258.
Before voting on the city court judge amendment, Hopper asked Pendleton whether he had done any math to see how many extra dollars would be available by not raising elected officials’ salaries. He said he did not do an analyis, and Hopper later said the amount “adds up to essentially nothing.”
“(It’s) not enough to hire a police officer, not enough to hire a firefighter, not enough to equip a police officer,” Hopper said.
The total amount of the raises not passed by the city council is $11,796. If the city clerk’s pay had not been raised, that number would have increased to $15,462.
Though there were changes to the raises, the rest of the budget was passed unchanged.
The majority of 2024’s nearly $64.7 million budget — about $62.8 million — is the city’s operating budget, with the remainder being for capital projects. It includes a 5% cost-of-living increase for all employees, new technology for the police department, more police and firefighters, a new fire engine, numerous new positions and a lot of equipment purchasing and replacement, city officials previously said.
The largest chunk of the 2024 budget is dedicated to public safety. More than $21.5 million, or 32.4%, of the proposed budget is allocated for public safety.
For 2024, the city is expecting roughly $65.2 million in revenue. The budget is also expected to be “structurally balanced,” city controller Greg Wright said earlier this year.
As for taxes, Wright says the goal is to keep the city tax rate at what the rate is now. Still, people may see their taxes go up due to changes in assessed value for properties — which is assessed by county officials, not the city.
