Not only will all Roanoke Rapids employees receive a 5 percent cost of living adjustment, they will receive a $500 bonus as well.
The decision was made on a split vote during city council’s meeting Tuesday night in a motion which also ratified the city’s $17,714,526 budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The budget does not contain a tax increase.
The decision to go this route came after last-minute wrangling first brought up by Councilman Carl Ferebee who requested the $500 bonus be applied to employees making an annual salary of $50,000 or less. Ferebee had been advocating for a bonus in addition to the COLA throughout the council’s budget deliberations.
“The employees making $30,000 or less have to buy the same loaf of bread that the guy who’s making $50,000 or more has to buy,” Ferebee said.
He made the proposal that all employees get the 5 percent COLA with the addition that anybody under $50,000 be given a $500 bonus. “I’m hoping that makes everybody happy. At the same time for those who are on the low end that’s making $13 an hour and somewhere up to $50,000 we give them a $500 bonus.”
Councilman Rex Stainback, however, said, “I feel that’s patently unfair if we give (a bonus) to people $50,000 down, but what about the guy that’s making $50,100? He doesn’t get a bonus but the guy that’s making $49,800 would qualify for the bonus. I don’t think we’re being fair with this.”
Stainback said he would support the bonus if it was given out fairly and impartially. “I don’t know anybody in the city right now from the top to the bottom that is overpaid.”
In his motion, which was seconded by Sandra Bryant, Ferebee said in addition to approving the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, that the city give a 5 percent across the board COLA to all employees, a $500 bonus for any employee making $50,0000 or below, and that city staff look at the salaries of all employees by September 30.
Ferebee declined a request by Stainback to amend his motion so that the $500 bonus would apply to all employees.
That motion failed with council members Stainback, Tommy Daughtry and Wayne Smith voting against it.
Before Ferebee’s motion failed, Smith said, “I would definitely like to see all employees get the $500 bonus to treat everybody fairly across the board. I don’t think we need to give part of them $500. I’m with Rex on that.”
Bryant said before the motion failed, “I think the 5 percent is really pushing as far as what we had looked at. I think it’s fair. I am also really depressed that we have over 70 percent of our employees that are making less than $50,000. That is why I seconded the motion so that those making less would have the opportunity to receive a little extra to help them.”
After Ferebee’s motion failed, Smith made another motion to approve the budget that included the 5 percent COLA and a $500 bonus to be paid to all employees in November.
That motion passed by a 4-1 margin, with Ferebee casting the dissenting vote.
In light of the changes made Tuesday, Traynham said following the meeting, “Rather than adding on the additional funds what we had briefly talked about is we could go ahead and approve it (the budget) and as we move into our budget we can do some adjustments with our revenues to cover that bonus structure then we can back with a budget amendment at a future council meeting.”
