Pikeville will not increase Christmas bonuses this year
By Laura Collins
Published in News on November 4, 2009 1:46 PM
The Town of Pikeville Board of Commissioners voted Monday night to keep the town employees Christmas bonuses the same as last year.
This year, full-time employees will receive $150 and part-time employees will receive $75. This is much lower than the town requests for $300 for full-time employees and $200 for part-time employees.
Commissioner Edith McClenny said it wasn't the right time to increase bonuses.
"We have 10 percent of people out of work in Wayne County. I think we need to give this a second thought," she said before the vote. "All these people are good people. Thankfully at this time we don't have to cut your pay."
McClenny said surrounding towns give lower or no Christmas bonuses. Fremont for example gives a "longevity bonus" in December and it's $75 for full-time employees who have been there four years or less. The town gives a bonus worth 1 percent of the employee's salary for people who have been there five to nine years, and 1.5 percent bonus for employees there for 10 years or more.
After the vote on employee bonuses, several commissioners suggested that their pay and the mayor's pay be cut in half.
"That's not on the agenda," Mayor Herb Sieger said.
A motion was made to add the item to the agenda and the commissioners voted 4 to 1 to approve lower pay. McClenny was the dissenting vote.
The vote drops the mayor's pay per meeting from $100 to $50 and the commissioners pay per meeting from $75 to $37.50.
Commissioners Dennis Lewis and Todd Anderson previously opted out of receiving any pay.