A little-known and little-used policy will allow the Pinellas Park mayor to get reimbursed for his mileage, so he drops a request for a $100 allowance.
By ANNE LINDBERG
Published May 19, 2004
PINELLAS PARK - A majority of council members agreed last week that Mayor Bill Mischler should get an extra $100 monthly car allowance, but the mayor is dropping his request after discovering that he's already entitled to mileage.
All City Council members can be reimbursed for the distances they drive on city business. They just never claimed it.
"We're not going to pursue that," Mischler said Monday of his quest for a flat monthly mileage fee.
Under Mischler's proposal, he would have received $100 a month, or $1,200 a year, in addition to his annual salary of about $15,654.
That money would have been taxed and would have counted into his city pension. It also would have been there if he'd traveled zero miles or 10,000 miles. It's unclear if it would have been subject to the automatic annual raise the council awarded itself in 2002.
But under Pinellas Park rules, council members are allowed to claim mileage reimbursement when using their cars on city business. The difference is, they have to account for it, for which they are paid 36 cents a mile.
Mischler said he travels about 50 miles a week. Averaged over a year, his reimbursement would be about $77.40 a month. The confusion arose, Pinellas Park spokesman Tim Caddell said, because no one had time to check the current administrative regulations when Mischler raised the topic at the end of last week's workshop.
"Folks, I want to ask you something," Mischler said. "I want to propose that we get a car allowance and I'm going to tell you the reason. I'm putting a lot of miles - half the mileage on my car is on city business - and gas is getting outrageous. . . . I put (in) a lot of miles and I'm proposing $100 a month."
Patricia Bailey-Snook reminded Mischler that the council once had a mileage allowance but had canceled it by folding it into their salaries.
"But we had to keep records of all that stuff," Mischler said.
Bailey-Snook said the change occurred because of a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service that it was better to have a salary rather than pay and mileage.
Sandra Bradbury said there is no problem now.
Mischler: "Out of that 100, they're going to take taxes. They're going to pay Social Security. So out of that 100, you'll get less than 80."
Bradbury: "About 55." She laughed.
Bradbury said she would rather see actual mileage turned in.
Former Mayor Cecil Bradbury, council member Bradbury's father, asked what the council salaries were at the time mileage was given.
Mischler commented to Cecil Bradbury that he did not believe the former mayor had turned down raises when he worked for Raytheon.
Cecil Bradbury snapped back: "I didn't go asking for them."
Sandra Bradbury said she would support the mileage issue if records were kept.
Ed Taylor said that "as usual," he would not support it "but I'm not going to make a stink about it."
Then Taylor said the mayor should get a car allowance but council members should not.
"I know you're out and about," Taylor said. "This is your full-time gig. I mean that in a good way. Since you've retired, you're here."
Taylor went a step further, saying $100 was not enough. He suggested $200-$250.
Bailey-Snook said the mayor's and council's salaries are supposed to take care of such things.
Mischler repeated that he has a lot to do, such as pancake breakfasts.
Bailey-Snook: "We are making better salaries than we've ever made. I don't think it's needed."
Rick Butler suggested Mischler should get $150 a month extra as car allowance.
Bailey-Snook: "He already makes enough salary."
Butler polled the council and told Mischler, "You got $100, three votes."
Bailey-Snook was the lone holdout.
Mischler said after he was told that council members were entitled to mileage, he dropped his request for a flat fee and said he will report his miles.
