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The Dothan City Commission voted down a measure to give raises to the mayor and commissioners in an uncomfortable discussion after an amendment was proposed to increase the amount originally considered.

The original cost of living adjustment would have increased the mayor’s wage to $43,260, with commissioners making half that number, effective in October. It would have been a 3% increase from the mayor’s current $42,000 salary and commissioners’ $21,000 salary. The yearly cost of living increase would have been the same that city employees receive — and the commission and mayor haven’t gotten a raise since 1989.

But Commissioner Kevin Dorsey proposed an amendment which would have raised the salaries to a cost of living adjustment since 1989 — which would have raised the mayor’s salary to $74,000 and commissioners’ salaries to half that number.

After uneasy discussion, the measure was voted down, thus locking the mayor and commissioners into the same salary they’ve been earning. Raises and compensation changes must be voted on six months before the new commission is seated. Today was the last day for the commission to vote on a compensation increase. This measure would have gone into effect after elections, so there was a chance the sitting commission and mayor wouldn’t see raises themselves.

Dorsey and Kirkland both voted yes on the amended measure, but the rest of the commission and mayor voted no in a 2-5 vote.

Mayor Mark Saliba said he was comfortable with the original measure, as no raise since 1989 justified it, but he wasn’t in favor of the last-minute larger amount.

“When the amendment came and changed and it went way up, I could not be for that. I think there’s a certain amount of servant leadership that has to be done,” he said.

Dorsey, who introduced the amendment, said he wanted to make the city commission’s wages comparable to the county commission’s.

“The city commission is doing more work than the county,” he said. “Ask the average person who your county commissioner is and see if they know. The people that’s helping, everybody knows who’s helping and doing their job. It’s a part-time job, but ride around Dothan and look at all the projects we have going. We have a lot going on. It’s really full-time, honestly. It’s part time when it comes to the meetings, but it’s a full-time job the way your phone rings, the text messages, the emails.”

He said he’s also paid his constituents’ utility bills, helped with gas, changed flat tires, and done oil changes.

Kirkland, one of the two yes votes, said he was inclined to support the measure since Dothan’s leadership hasn’t gotten a raise since 1989, but also because of the high demand for work.

“This is supposed to be a part-time job, but as commissioners, your phone rings 24/7,” he said.

During the meeting he also noted that county commissioners receive yearly cost of living adjustments.

Furthermore, county commissioners can draw retirement — but city commissioners can’t.

Bradley Bedwell, one of the no votes, said he would’ve possibly been in favor of the original resolution, and he agreed the city commission needed raises, but he said he couldn’t justify the significant pay hike.

“It was originally a modest cost of living adjustment equating to about $600 per commissioner,” he said. “I don’t think my constituents would mind that, but I do think they would mind a double in salary for an area about 20% of the size of a county commissioner. The county is running a district three times the size of ours. Even though they may not have a big workload, there is a difference. They got a whole lot more customers to call and complain.”

He said such a large pay raise could entice people to run for local office — but for the wrong reasons.

“If you put the mayor’s job at $80,000, you’re going to have people running just for the salary. This ought to be a gift of public service,” he said.

He said while the extra money would have been nice, he was glad the commission didn’t go for the amended amount.

“I would applaud our commission for doing it. It’s a win-lose situation. Yes, you did the right thing to not give yourself a 100% raise,” he said. “It would’ve been great for me, but not best for Dothan.”

The last-minute aspect of the amendment made him less inclined to vote yes.

“It was too much way too soon.”

City commission raises were discussed at the previous strategic planning meeting, and Dorsey said he intended to bring the matter up again at the next planning meeting.

“(The next city commission) will feel the pressure,” Dorsey said. “You’re supposed to make it better for the person behind you.

“We just failed the future and the commissions of the future.”

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