McComb officials are considering increasing firefighters’ starting pay to $12 an hour, along with making other adjustments to the department’s pay scale.
The board voted Tuesday 5-1 to table the matter. Selectmen Michael Cameron, Devante Johnson, Shawn Williams, Ronnie Brock and Donovan Hill supported delaying action, while Selectman Ted Tullos opposed, saying he wanted to vote for the raises that night.
At issue is how much the raises would cost the city. City Administrator David Myers said he would have more information and where the money would come from at next week’s work session.
Myers said the raises would be for certified and non-certified firefighters, engineers and lieutenants.
“Mr. Mayor, I’ve watched two different times firemen save citizens of McComb,” Tullos said. “Your surrounding community Brookhaven pays their firemen $14 an hour. Columbia pays their fire department $12 an hour. Hattiesburg pays their firemen $12 an hour. We’re at $9.”
“My only concern is just for the board, for the record for our minutes, is there’s going to have to be an amount or percentage or something of what we’re doing with the rate,” City Attorney Marcus Williams said.
Then Tullos made a motion for the firefighters’ starting pay to be $12 an hour, which Cameron seconded.
“Some folks are making more than others,” attorney Williams said. “Are you doing a percentage for everybody?”
“He’s adjusting the starting salary at $12 an hour,” explained Mayor Quordiniah Lockley. “Then everyone else in the pay scale will be adjusted.”
Johnson then made a motion to table the matter until the next meeting so Myers would have an opportunity to figure out how the pay raises would affect the budget.
Tullos mentioned when the police dispatchers’ starting pay was increased to $15.10 an hour.
“Was that done for the dispatchers when the pay went to $15 an hour?” he asked. “I don’t remember it being done. I don’t remember anything talked about with the budget. It was just done.”
Myers said the original motion was to pay police dispatchers $18 an hour to start, but there was a discussion on where the money came from, how it impacted the budget and the final decision was to make the starting pay $15.10 an hour.
“It was done, Mr. Tullos,” he said. “I had a discussion with the chief and the dispatch director in terms of finding where the money was. When we found it, we brought it to the board.”
Myers said he and Fire Chief Gary McKenzie held talks about pay.
“I’ve had conversations with the fire chief already about this,” Myers said. “I told the fire chief that I’m committed to doing what needs to be done and we do have figures, but we still have to see where this lies in terms of the budget.”
“We’ve discussed this for nine months,” Tullos said. “Will you give us a date that you will come forward with a number, a pay raise number?”
Myers told Tullos he would bring something to the board next week.
“The chief has already given me something and he and I have talked about it,” he said. “We were not ready to come to the board at that point because, again, we need to find out where the money is going to come from, Selectman Tullos.”
“Thank you,” Tullos said.
Cameron agreed with the need for more information before taking a vote.
“We’ve got to have some guides here — how much it’s going to cost, where it’s going to come from,” he said. “I’m all in favor of it, Chief. We just need a little more information.”
The board voted to table the matter after Cameron’s statement.
