2016 Salary Ordinance Set By Leesburg Town Council
LEESBURG — Setting precedents for the future was the main theme of Monday, Nov. 9, Leesburg Town Council meeting. The council implemented a new sewer rate adjustment guideline, adopted salary ordinances for town officials and reviewed code codification suggestions from Umbaugh, municipal planners.
The council first addressed old business with Roberta “Bobby” Anderson, owner of a currently vacant business in Leesburg. Last month, Anderson approached the board to request the town adjust her sewer rate to the minimum usage allotment as the building is unoccupied and sewage is not currently being flushed through the system at the location.
Anderson visited the board in October to discuss a commercial property she owns on SR 15, the former Farmer’s Market restaurant. According to Anderson, the location has sat unoccupied for the past year after sewer issues caused the past tenant to leave.
Anderson noted she has been paying $437 per month despite the fact no sewage has been flushed at the location. Though Anderson explained she has done numerous renovations to the building, she stated finding her definition of the “perfect renter” has been difficult.
The town council reviewed Anderson’s request over the past month with Umbaugh to attempt to outline the future of any similar requests. According to Tom Moore, council president, Umbaugh drafted a statement for the council to adopt noting that at no time would a business be charged less than 180U (average usage), which is equivalent to $73. This ensures the town does not take a loss in the sewer fees charged to them by the county.
Moore explained by dropping processing fees, the only necessary charge at that point would be the set fee for the location, which is estimated at $73. The council noted this helps ensure the town does not loose any money while allowing relief for Anderson. The council voted 3-0 to adjust the sewer rate for Anderson and noted though they expect situations like hers to be exceedingly rare, they would decide future adjustments to be decided at the time of proposal.
In other business, the council reviewed plans for the 2016 salary ordinance. The ordinance, which is conducted yearly in accordance with the town’s budget, examined salaries for the three council members: Moore, Doug Jones, vice president; and Larry Richey, councilman. Moore noted he saw no need to increase the salaries of councilman to which Richey and Jones agreed.
However, some discussion did occur as to how much of an increase Brandon Queen, Leesburg street commissioner, and Clerk Treasurer Mike Searfoss should see within their yearly salary. The council began with a 2 percent pay raise for both gentleman, however, after a moment of consideration, Jones noted he would much rather see a 3 percent raise for Queen. Both Richey and Jones crunched numbers in order to estimate the expected additional earnings Queen would see with the adjustment, noting his current salary rests around the $28,000 mark.
After considering the 2016 budget, Richey and Jones settled on a 2.5 percent increase to both gentleman’s yearly earnings. After a vote was purposed, all three gentleman voted in agreement to pass it.