EVANSVILLE, In. (WEHT)- The next elected mayor will officially receive a 34% increase in salary, which is about 35,000 dollars. That was voted on at the city council meeting—rounding out the final budget hearings for 2024.
Council member Missy Mosby says, “We also talk to our department heads and the administration to make sure we all come prepared and I feel like everyone did today. So, I was happy to be apart of that group”.
That salary increase proposal received 2 no’s and 6 yes’s. One of those against the steep raise, council member Missy Mosby. She proposed an amendment saying the mayor would instead take a 1% increase and the remainder of those funds would be put towards AED’s for public safety officials’ vehicles. This comes following an incident where an officer nearly lost his life.
Mosby explains, “The first person that shows up with an AED, it doesn’t work. The second one that shows up, all of the equipment doesn’t work as well. So it takes the third AED for them to actually shock him back into a rhythm. The fact that this equipment doesn’t work and most police cars don’t even have them…We need to do better”.
She says there are also other officials who deserve raises, “Police officers and firefighters are underpaid and they’re not paid the salaries they deserve, when you look at the rest of the state”.
Councilman Zac Heronemus is among those who voted for the 34% pay raise. He says, “It’s a balancing act that we have to do, and this is just one small measure to correct and make equitable what’s been depressed at the choice of the current administration and mayor”.
He vowed to fight diligently for other public service employees, should he get to keep his seat at the table come January. Heronemus explains, “We have historically not kept pace with other jurisdictions throughout the state of Indiana and it’s something that we really need to address”.
On Tuesday, October 10th, Evansville police will receive 25 additional AED’s from
Heartsavers, a program of Deaconess Foundation, to be placed in vehicles that do not have one. It’s unclear if that is enough for every police vehicle on the streets.
