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Talk of proposed increases for the mayor and others is attributed to the city's recent growth.
By MONIQUE FIELDS
© St. Petersburg Times, published August 24, 2000
SEMINOLE -- On the same night City Council members took the first step toward giving hefty pay increases to themselves and the mayor, they also discussed a 13 percent raise for the city clerk.
Lynne Keane has been the city clerk since August 1998. She receives $33,280; the council is considering raising that to $37,802, which includes a 3 percent cost-of-living adjustment. The increase would put her in the middle of Seminole's city clerk pay range.
Talk of pay raises has been attributed to the city's recent growth. In June, Seminole made a dramatic move and annexed three neighborhoods, nearly doubling its land mass.
The council has already awarded a raise to City Manager Frank Edmunds, now in his fifth year. His salary increased from $79,005 to $84,985, the ceiling for Seminole's city manager pay range. A 3 percent cost-of-living adjustment added $2,550, bringing the total to $87,535.
On Tuesday, the council voted 6-1 to raise the mayor's salary from $7,500 a year to $9,200, or 24 percent, and to boost council members' pay from $3,600 a year to $5,400 a year, or 50 percent.
Residents will have their say on the matter during a public hearing Sept. 12. The lone dissenter on the council was Paul Trexler. The pay raises would not take effect until after council elections in March.
The council is expected to vote on the city clerk's salary Sept. 12. If passed, the increase would be retroactive to Aug. 13.
The proposed new salary falls below that of city clerks in cities of similar size. For example, the Gulfport city clerk receives nearly $42,000 a year; those in Safety Harbor and Tarpon Springs make more than $52,000 a year.
"As city clerk, Lynne administered all of the annexation referendum elections, which occurred during this evaluation period," Edmunds said.
Mayor Dottie Reeder agreed. "The quality of work that Lynne has provided during the past year with the annexation efforts has been excellent."