Two meetings and several motions later, the Stuart City Council approved employee wages for this fiscal year.

The Council discussed the topic this week after tabling the item at their June meeting. The Council had budgeted a 4% increase, but were conflicted on what action to take after the Municipal Utility Board approved an 8% raise for its employees. Their salaries are paid evenly by the Utility Board and the Council, effectively giving them at least a 4% raise overall.

Council Member Theresa Glass gave her salary proposal, “For the people who got, and there’s nothing we can do about the people who gave themselves an 8% raise work in utilities, they gave themselves an 8% raise. But for the people who are paid half salary – half salary by Utility, half salary by the City – I think the City’s portion of it needs to equalize out with the raise that we’re giving all our other employees.”

Glass motioned to give no raise to Utility employees and a 4% raise for everyone else, which died for a lack of a second. Council Member Bryan Belden motioned for a 2% increase for Utility and a 4% increase for everyone else, which failed 3-2. Council Member James Morgan then motioned to give everyone a 4% raise, which also died. Finally, the Council approved 3-2 for Council Member Mick Askren’s motion for a 3% increase across the board, a motion that died at their previous meeting.