[StBernard] St. Bernard Council salary increases on table, along with charter amendment

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard Council salary increases on table, along with charter amendment
Print Benjamin Alexander-Bloch, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune By Benjamin
Alexander-Bloch, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune 
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on September 02, 2014 at 2:50 PM, updated September 02, 2014 at 6:42 PM

The St. Bernard Parish Council on Tuesday evening is scheduled to vote on
introducing an ordinance that would double council members salaries
beginning in 2016. If approved later this year, the increases wouldn't take
effect until after council elections next year.

The proposal would increase the salaries of district council members from
$7,200 a year to $15,000 a year. That's a 108 percent increase.

(NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune will live blog the meeting at 7 p.m.
Tuesday.)

Councilman Casey Hunnicutt, who is leading the charge for the salary hike,
said an additional $60,600 a year is needed to fund the proposed salary
increase for the seven council members could be paid for completely out of
the council's current budget.

Hunnicutt said on Tuesday that the proposed increase is almost entirely in
line with inflation since the current council salaries were approved in
1988. They went into effect in 1992. There have been no salary increases
since.

Proposed St. Bernard Council salary changes
 	Current monthy	Current yearly	Proposed monthly	Proposed
yearly	% increase
District	$600.00	$7,200.00	$1,250.00	$15,000	108%
At-Large	$600.00	$7,200.00	$1,450.00	$17,400	142%
Chair	$700.00	$8,400.00	$1,650.00	$19,800	136%
St. Bernard Parish Council
In addition to the proposed district salary increase, Hunnicutt is proposing
a raise from $600 to $1,450 a month for the two at-large council members,
with the chair of the council - a position that switches each year between
the two at-large members - receiving a bump from $700 to $1,650 a month. 

Hunnicutt said that was fair since the at-large council members represent
the whole parish, not just a single council district, and the council chair
position carries additional responsibilities and time commitments. 

St. Bernard council members receive individual health insurance coverage and
an option to purchase dental and vision. They are not eligible for
retirement benefits. 

Inflation-adjusted St. Bernard Council salaries
 	1988*	2014	2014 annual	% increase
District	$600.00	$1,208.37	$14,500.44	101%
At-Large	$600.00	$1,208.37	$14,500.44	101%
Chair	$700.00	$1,409.76	$16,917.12	101%
*Year current salaries were approved. They went into effect in 1992. 

Council calculated using the BLS CPI Inflation Calculator - U.S. Dept. of
Labor.

The proposed new St. Bernard council salaries would be about on par with
other part-time council positions for similarly-sized metro New Orleans
communities, Hunnicutt said, pointing to data he recently compiled. 

Hunnicutt said on Tuesday the council salary increases are needed "to
recruit a larger number of qualified candidates to fill these position in
the long term."

He said the time commitment of the positions are not commensurate with their
current salaries.

"I absolutely don't think public servants should get rich for serving the
people but I do believe that the low compensation is a deterrent compared to
the time responsibility and the time requirement that you have to put in,"
Hunnicutt said.

He also said the current salaries are "economically discriminatory" in that
they make it more difficult for St. Bernard residents with lower incomes -
even medium parish incomes - to serve "because the time commitment would not
allow you to take off work as much as you need to and still afford to live."

Metro New Orleans salaries for part-time council members 
Locality	District salary	 	At-Large salary	 
 	Monthly	Yearly	Monthly	Yearly
 	 	 	 	 
Plaquemines Parish	$2,916.67	$35,000.00	$3,000.00
$36,000.00
St. Charles Parish	$878.75	$10,545.00	$1,171.25	$14,055.00
Kenner	$1,719.75	$20,637.00	$2,330.92	$27,971.00
St. John the Baptist	$685.83	$8,230.00	Same	 
Gretna	$1,416.67	$17,000.00	Same	 
Slidell	$1,585.92	$19,031.00	Same	 
St. James	$1,100.00	$13,200.00	$1,200.00	$14,400.00
Terrebonne	$1,055.58	$12,666.96	$1,187.54	$14,250.48
Westwego	$1,400.00	$16,800.00	Same	 
Tangipahoa	$1,600.00	$19,200.00	Same	 
Courtesy of St. Bernard Parish Council
He pointed out that St. Bernard council members typically are men who either
are independently wealthy, own their own businesses or have jobs that allow
similarly flexible schedules.

In other matters, the council is also set to vote on whether to place a
proposed charter amendment in front of voters on Dec. 6 that could determine
whether council members can hold other elected positions immediately upon
leaving office.

The council is also expected to pass a resolution of support for the adopted
parish comprehensive plan, and vote on passage of an ordinance amendment
that would stop the parish Department of Animal Services from seeing
privately-owned animals, except in emergencies.

The proposed charter amendment was introduced at the Aug. 19 council
meeting. If approved on Tuesday evening, the matter would go in front of
voters during a special election on Dec. 6, likely on the ballot alongside a
proposed 7.5-mill levee tax increase.

Some council members and members of the public question the clarity of a
2009 charter amendment's language, arguing that it is unclear whether it
prevents council members from running for other public posts until one year
after leaving office.

On July 15, the council adopted a resolution requesting that state Attorney
General Buddy Caldwell provide the council with an opinion that could
clarify the language, but the attorney general's office has not yet provided
that opinion to the council.

Council Chairman Guy McInnis, who has led the charge on the council
amendment, has been rumored as a potential parish president candidate in
2015.

In terms of the resolution in support of the comprehensive plan, it largely
is a formality as the parish planning commission already has passed the
plan.

Meanwhile, the proposed Department of Animal Services changes would focus
the department on servicing government-owned animals, or strays found in the
community.

Parish President Dave Peralta has said that "government should not be
competing with private business" and that the proposed amendments would
prevent the parish from taking away business from private veterinarians in
the parish.

The St. Bernard Parish Council is scheduled to meet 7 p.m. Tuesday (Sept. 2)
in its Council Chambers, 8201 W. Judge Perez Dr., in Chalmette.