2024-12-09 December 09, 2024 Mayor and Council Meeting Minutes - FINAL
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December 09, 2024 7:00 PM City of Smyrna Mayor and Council Meeting 2800 King Street SE Council Chambers Page 12 of 17 L. ATH2024-204 Authorization to amend the FY 2025 Adopted Budgets for the General Fund and the American Rescue Plan (ARPA) Fund to increase the adopted General Fund Budget to increase the HB489 Intergovernmental Revenue and to amend the ARPA Fund adopted project length budgets to reallocate funding and create additional projects. Citywide Joe Bennett, City Administrator, provided the following background: The City has completed several American Rescue Plan (ARPA) projects and needs to true up the project length budgets and obligate remaining funds before the 12/31/2024 deadline. Staff recommends authorization to amend. Mayor Pro Tem / Councilmember Tim Gould made a motion to approve item ATH2024- 204; seconded by Councilmember Rickey N. Oglesby, Jr. The motion to approve carried with the following vote: Aye: 7 – Councilmember Pickens, Councilmember Hines, Councilmember Lindley (virtual), Councilmember Welch, Councilmember Wilkinson, Mayor Pro Tem / Councilmember Gould, Councilmember Oglesby Nay: 0 – None Recuse: 0 – None M. ATH2024-206 Authorization for the approval of the FY 2025 Pay Scale Adjustments, Cost of Living (COLA) Pay Adjustments, and Staff Merit Increases effective the January 9, 2025 payroll (Pay Period: December 23, 2024 - January 5, 2025) and authorization to amend the adopted FY 2025 budgets in the General Fund, Water Sewer Fund, E911 Fund, and the Hotel/ Motel Tax Fund to decrease the budget for the contingency line item in each fund, and to increase the full time salaries, part time salaries and FICA line item balances in each fund. Citywide Joe Bennett, City Administrator, provided the following background: Each year cost of living pay adjustments and merit increases for eligible staff are included in the budget in the contingency line item of each fund. As part of the maintenance plan recommended in the adopted 2022 classification and compensation study, Council committed to annual adjustments to the pay bands and cost of living (COLA) pay adjustments based on the Employment Cost Index (ECI). According to the 10/31/24 Economic News Release, compensation for state and local government workers increased 4.7% for the 12-month period ended 9/30/2024. The FY 2025 Budget was adopted with a cap on the COLA adjustment at 3%. The amounts budgeted for ECI (COLA) adjustments totaled $581,800.00. Merit raises were also included in the budget contingencies lines items in each of the individual funds. Initial amounts budgeted totaled $448,100.00. Total budgeted for merit and ECI/ COLA was $1,029,900.00. The estimated total for a 3.0% COLA, and merit raises at 2.5% (performance rating of 3), and 3.5% (performance ratings of 4 and 5) totals $804,196.23.00 at January 1, 2025.