OAK GROVE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – At the latest Oak Grove City Council meeting on Tuesday night, the council voted on a city employee compensation plan that includes a 3.2% increase in salaries for city employees, effective from the start of the new fiscal year on July 1. This decision followed a previous meeting where the plan did not pass due to concerns raised by council member Janet Edwards.
At the council meeting on June 18, Edwards expressed reservations about the budget, particularly focusing on capital outlay expenditures, the allocation of ARPA funds and a significant increase in administrative expenses at City Hall.
“The item was for administrative expenses. In the previous budget it was around $25,000 but the new budget doubled it to $50,000. No one could explain why,” said Edwards.
Due to these unanswered questions, Edwards voted against the budget, which necessitated her voting against the compensation plan as well. Her concern was that approving a salary increase without clarifications on all budgetary items could lead to inconsistencies and exceed the allocated budget amount.
Since the new fiscal year began on July 1, there was a time constraint on passing it at the council meeting Tuesday. “I think its important we pass this and move on,” said council member Edward Cook.
The Compensation Plan went on to be approved by a majority vote of 5-1, ensuring that city employees will receive their scheduled salary increases for the upcoming fiscal year. Audience members and city employees in the audience applauded the decision.