What the heck were you thinking?

Pardon me for asking, but. . . “What the heck are you thinking?”
Oh, the question I am asking is for our current Phenix City council members and mayor to answer. Well?
I guess I should be a little more specific. Here goes. When you chose to run for the offices you now hold, did you know the compensation package that went along with the positions? You did? Well, then I ask again. . .”What the heck are you thinking?”
At a recent council meeting the members of the council and mayor approved a resolution requesting local state representatives to increase the compensation for their positions through a change to the city charter by way of the state legislature. They did this right out in the open and not one of them bucked the idea. Apparently, not enough of you out there in the public – the people who take the time to vote to put these people in the positions they serve for the compensation that was known by each of them – did either.
I am not necessarily opposed to changing the compensation for the council and mayor. The current compensation is ridiculously low by today’s standards. I am, however, opposed to changing the city charter which sets that compensation without a vote by the people of Phenix City. The people voted to create this form of government in 1977 and set the compensation for the council and mayor. I am strongly opposed to any change in our city charter that is done without the approval of the people. The compensation set was never intended to be an enticement for people to run for public office.
But, this council and mayor, like some of the past, want more. They want a lot more.
In the legal section of this newspaper, there is a proposed Act to be presented to the state legislature in February, possibly, that calls for an increase in compensation for the council and mayor. When you first read the Act, it leads you to believe it is an Act that will affect all Class 5 cities in the state. It does not. It affects only one Class 5 city in Alabama – Phenix City. It also says the compensation for the council and mayor, once approved by the state legislature and by a vote of the council and mayor, will be increased to equal the compensation paid to the members of the Russell County Commission. That would mean the compensation for the council and mayor would increase from around $60,000 total annually to around $120,000 with the mayor - if approved unanimously by the council and then approved by the mayor himself - would receive $35,000 and the other four council members would receive a little over $21,000 annually - if approved by a majority vote of the council members themselves.
About two years ago, when the question was placed before the people of Phenix City on whether they wanted a fulltime mayor with a salary of $50,000, the answer was a resounding “No.” Now when there is a proposal to give fulltime pay to the council and mayor for part-time positions, you do not trust the people to give an honest answer?
Some argue the council members and mayor spend a lot of time at city hall handling duties. Why? We have a city manager to handle the day-to-day operation of the city. If the council members and mayor are there for so much time, it is by choice not by any requirement. And, if they are around that much, there is the temptation to meddle in city business that should be handled by the city manager. That is a violation of the city charter. Perhaps there should be an Act presented to the state legislature to amend the city charter to make the punishment for any council member or the mayor who meddles in the duties of the city manager to be more severe than the current “shame on you” punishment. That is an Act I would support wholeheartedly as long as the people have the opportunity to vote on the matter first.
So, this council and mayor, during these harsh economic times, want to increase the compensation for their positions? If nothing else, the timing is wrong. And, the voters have not had a chance to express their feelings.