MOBILE, Ala. (WPMI) A proposal to more than double the next mayor of Mobile's salary has been taken off the table.
Last week, councilman John Williams announced his plan to raise the mayor's salary from $89,000 to $200,000. Williams said Mobile's mayor was grossly underpaid compared to the job. He said he had hoped the salary would attract business-minded people to the office in the future.
At the City Council meeting Tuesday morning, Williams withdrew his proposal for the increase. But councilman Fred Richardson brought a similar proposal back to the table, suggesting a system that automatically gives city council members and the mayor a raise, whenever city employees get raises. But Bess Rich took that proposal off the table and a vote was never made.
"My thought is I didn't know anything about it. It was an inopportune time to present that. I look at it as being something unnecessary at this time," said Mayor Sam Jones.
"My recommendation to raise was in respect to the position," said Williams. "I think we should have to vote every four years on the salary of the council and the mayor."
Legally, the council cannot vote on the issue after Tuesday, because we're six months out from the August 27 election.
