The decision for a controversial pay raise for the mayor and council could come this week.
At the Nov. 10 regular meeting of the Taylor City Council, city leaders will consider and likely vote on Ordinance 2022-43, which would raise the pay for city leaders from $25 dollars to $1,200 per month for council members, and from $25 to $1,500 month for the mayor’s position.
City leaders lowered the proposed increase from an initial proposal for $1,964 for the mayor, and from $1,528 per month for council members, and decided against adding health benefits to the compensation package at the Oct. 27 meeting after receiving pushback from residents at the meeting, as well as online.
If approved, council will receive the raise retroactively to Oct. 1 to reflect the new budget cycle.
In other business, council will:
• Hear a presentation from Parks and Recreation Directory Tyler Bybee about the large population of egrets that nest in Murphy Park and other parts of the city, as well as proposals for changing the location for the July 4 fireworks display due to its proximity to the rookeries, as well as for managing the population.
• Move forward with a nonstandard retail water and wastewater service agreement with Samsung Austin Semiconductor, which was a requirement of the original development agreement council approved last year, that provides a rate structure for utility services to the development that consists of combined base rates of $22,000 per month plus volumetric rates for water and sewer usage. According to city officials, “This agreement provides a financial benefit to the City’s utility system by adding a high end-user on the system that utilizes new infrastructure with minimal maintenance burden to the system.”
• Consider a petition from Taylor FM973, LLC, for the creation of a new Municipal Utility District within the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction to finance infrastructure for a new residential development.
The council meeting will commence at 6 p.m. at city hall, 400 Porter St., in the council chamber. Those who wish to share their thoughts and comments, which are limited to three minutes, should sign up no later than 5:45 p.m.
The council agenda and live video stream of the meeting can be found on the city website at http:// www. taylortx.gov.
