Williston Mayor Jerry Robinson suggested raising council salaries.

By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter

                Williston City Council members have agreed to ask for a raise from their bosses – the voters.

            The council voted to instruct City Clerk Latricia Wright Tuesday to craft a ballot question for the March city election next year asking voters if they would favor doubling council salaries.

            Williston’s charter doesn’t allow the council to give itself a raise. The proposal must go on a ballot.

            The salaries of the mayor and council president would increase to $500 per month and the other council members would get $400 per month.

            Mayor Jerry Robinson raised the question of higher salaries. He said the salaries, among the lowest in the region, haven’t been increased in 38 years.

            Council President Nancy Wininger said she wouldn’t vote to give herself a raise. She said she would vote to give the next council a raise but not this one.

            “I think there are times when public service should be free,” she said.

            Councilman Justin Head said he wouldn’t mind putting the raises to a vote of the people, but he felt the proposed raises should be discussed a couple of times in public meetings.

            “It’s not the reason for doing it,” Head said of the money.

            Robinson said some of the people on the council, himself included, hold other jobs and are aware of the time it takes to represent the city on the council.

            In the past few years, Robinson said there haven’t been any contested city elections because there weren’t any challengers. He said lack of compensation may be part of the problem.

            The council voted to place the measure on the March ballot without using a motion and a second to bring the issue to a vote, but City Attorney Fred Koberlein said the issue must be brought back as a resolution and approved by the council anyway.

            Council members gave city employees a 2 percent raise this year.

            Robinson gave council members a breakdown of current council and commission salaries in other small cities in this area.

            Bronson offers the highest pay of any city in Levy County with the mayor receiving $800 per month, the vice mayor $600 and council members $500.

            Chiefland’s mayor receives $500 per month while the commission members receive $400.

            The mayor of Inglis gets $500 per month and council members $400.

            Trenton’s mayor receives $750 per month and the council members $625.

            Newberry’s mayor gets $750 per month and council members $625.

            The lowest current pay for council members belongs to Williston.

Wolves in City Hall?

            Councilwoman Marguerite Robinson tamped down speculation that the council was trying to take away City Manager Scott Lippmann’s job.

            “There is a rumor going around that we are wolves, and we want Scott Lippmann’s job,” she said. “We don’t want Scott Lippmann’s job. I just want you to do your job.”

            Wininger said she had heard a similar rumor.

            “I heard that same rumor. I haven’t heard wolves,” she said.

             Wininger said she has heard people say the council wants to do away with the manager.

            “I don’t want his job either,” he said.

Goodman Absent

            Councilman Charles Goodman missed the council meeting due to health issues.

            Goodman left the previous council meeting in an ambulance after grabbing his chest and losing his breath.

            Robinson said the councilman didn’t suffer a heart attack at the previous meeting but doctors are running tests to determine exactly what is wrong with him.

            Council Chambers Noise

            Council members seemed surprised when Spotlight asked if the board thought they had cured the problem of loud noise from overhead vents in the council chambers.

            Other audience members confirmed the noise was still a problem in the audience section. Most of the council members said they could hear just fine, but Councilwoman Robinson said there were times when she couldn’t hear council members clearly on the other side of the room.

            Lippmann said he would take a look at the microphones and speaker system that were installed to overcome the noise and try to figure out why the noise persists in the audience section but not for most of the council members.

City of Williston Regular Meeting November 19, 2019; Posted November 19, 2019