One consequence of having Irion County ISD basically tell the City of Mertzon how high to jump is permanently flooded city streets that ALL city taxpayers must pay for. Are we getting our money's worth when we pay tax dollars to city council members and the mayor just to attend meetings?
Update: This page was updated Tuesday morning, August 22, 2023. The Council on August 21, 2023 approved the 23-24 budget that kept in the $35,000 for council pay. Other than myself, no member of the public was present.
Did you know the City of Mertzon, unlike other nearby cities of similar size, has a budget of $35,000 annually just to pay its city council members and its mayor to attend meetings? The City's new Mayor, Aubrey Stewart, is trying to trim the budget and this is clearly one area he wants to cut.
Here is the audio of a lively budget debate from the Council's August 16, 2023 budget meeting on this issue. Mertzon City Council Disagree over Council Member Pay at https://youtu.be/teYAe9cg0LU.
Council members Danny Crutchfield, Charlene Holland, Jayton Lindley and Randy Councilman favor leaving the $35,000 in place for the next year, while Mayor Stewart and Council Member Micah Elliot favor reducing it or zeroing it out. The budget has not been voted on, so citizens still can weigh in with their opinions.
Below is the information collected by City Administrator Michelle Wardlaw regarding how much the nearby cities are paying:
What do you think?
I think I'll let my photo at the top of this page do my talking.