Statham City Council Approves Pay Increase for Employees

All Statham city employees will receive a 3 percent pay increase this year. 

The Statham City Council approved the increase as part of the 2011-12 budget at its meeting June 21. Approved expenditures total $2,331,490, with total anticipated revenues equaling the same amount. 

A total of $1,178,864 in revenue is expected to come from the general fund, which includes most of the taxes and fees the city collects. Of this amount, $363,334 is projected to come from local option sales tax and $270,000 from property taxes.

The city's largest expense is expected to be the water plant, with a total cost of $515,582. The majority of this amount goes toward employee salaries, bond series interest, electricity costs and solarbees, solar-powered water circulators. 

The building department and garbage fund are both expected to bring in enough revenue to cover their own costs, with the building department anticipating $59,848 in revenue and expenditures and the garbage fund expecting $144,900. 

Some projects had to be scrapped prior to budget approval, including plans for a salt spreader and a snow plow. 

The council discussed giving the Barrow Economic Development Council $3,000, which is the same amount the city gave last year. It was decided that no money would be put toward the project from the 2011-12 budget.

"We just can't really see what we get out of it," Council Member Betty Lyle said.