Video: Mayor Vetoes Pay Raises

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STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) – Starkville mayor Parker Wiseman has vetoed a salary increase for members of the board of aldermen and the mayor.

The Starkville Daily News reports (http://bit.ly/144zA2b) that the city board had approved the raises Jan. 2 on a 6-1 vote. Wiseman vetoed it Tuesday.

The proposal would increase the aldermen’s annual pay from $12,000 to $15,000 and the mayor’s salary from $60,000 to $71,500. It would have been effective in fiscal year 2015.

Wiseman says he wants the salary issue for the board and the mayor addressed after Mississippi State University’s John C. Stennis Institute of Government completes a survey of municipal salaries and makes recommendations.

Wiseman says he thought it was unwise to increase the salaries of the elected officials before considering raises for city workers.