OUTRAGEOUS SALARIES
12-3-06
The recent vote by Councilmembers Allen, Crenshaw, Leashore, Randolph, and Venter to give City Attorney Jimmy Nunn an $8,000.00 a year raise to $69,253.00 caused us to compare Selma's salaries with other cities of similar size. Looking at the budget for City Attorney Nunn, his salary is just PART of the thousands of dollars he costs the city; in addition to all the money he costs the City by losing cases!!
Nunn also recieves the usual 14% of fringe benefits which each City employee gets. That's another $9,600.00 per year he costs the city. Additionally, he gets $1,200.00 a year in CAR ALLOWANCE and $3,800.00 per year for TRAVEL! On top of all of this, he gets $5,700.00 per year for MISCELLANEOUS SUPPLIES and MEMBERSHIP DUES (whatever those are). Jimmy Nunn is costing the taxpayers about $90,000.00 per year in salary and benefits! That is an outrage when added to what he costs the City by his "lawyering" or lack thereof!
WE DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THE SELMA TIMES-JOURNAL WILL NOT DO THE RESEARCH AND PRINT SALARIES FROM CITIES SIMILAR IN SIZE TO SELMA AND THE SALARIES THAT OUR CITY PAYS. FOR EXAMPLE:
WHAT OTHER CITIES PAY THEIR CITY ATTORNEY:
Decatur : Population 53,000 = $56,342.00
Gadsden : Population 38,000 = $75,379.00
Pritchard : Population 28,000 = $50,000.00
Dothon : Population 78,000 = $58,000.00
Selma : Population 19,300 = $69,253.00
It amazes us that Selma City Councilmembers vote in ignorance on many financial matters just because Mayor Perkins wants his cronies to make these outrageous salaries.
WHAT OTHER CITIES PAY THIER DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT:
Mobile : Population 198,000 = $55,320.00
Tuscaloosa : Population 77,000 = $52,288.00
Gadsden : Population 38,000 = $53,353.00
Pritchard : Population 28,000 = $40,000
Phoenix City : Population 28,000 = $54,000.00
Selma : Population 19,300 = $60,000
We have always thought Selma's Community Development Director was overpaid at $60,000.00 and now we KNOW she is. However, we also believe Ms. Charlotte Griffith is Mayor Perkins choice to replace City School Superintendent James Carter as soon as Perkins can get rid of Dr. Carter!
WHAT OTHER CITIES PAY THEIR PERSONNEL DIRECTOR:
Phoenix City : Population 28,000 = $45,724.00
Prattville : Population 30,000 = $31,652.00
Opelika : Population 23,000 = $42,870.00
Selma : Population 19,300 = $48,000.00
We have always known that Selma's Personnel Director, Ms. Valeria Jones, was overpaid, but also invaluable to all of the suspect hiring and promotion which the Mayor and City do. If you listen to any explanation Ms. Jones gives about salaries and pay increases to the City Council, you get the impression that here is a person "who could screw up a one car funeral" and that she is either ignorant of what she is talking about or purposely deceptive!!
AGAIN, THE SALARIES OF ALL CITY EMPLOYEES IN ALL CITIES IN ALABAMA ARE PUBLIC INFORMATION AND COULD EASILY BE FOUND BY THE SELMA TIMES-JOURNAL OR BY SELMA CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS IF THEY CARED TO BE INFORMED ABOUT HOW FAR ABOVE SELMA CITY SALARIES ARE COMPARED TO CITIES OUR SIZE OR EVEN LARGER IN MANY CASES!!!
