Now is not the time for council pay raises

A 135-percent pay raise for the mayor and Waynesboro City Council (“Mayor calls for pay raise,” Nov. 22)? Now?

Are you kidding? While I fully respect the time demands placed on Mayor Tim Williams and the Waynesboro City Council, suggesting a pay raise in this time of economic uncertainty is absurd. To try to bring pay in line with what the mayor and council members make in Fredericksburg is equally ludicrous.

Mayor Williams, in order to catch up with Fredericksburg, wants to boost his pay and that of the council by $6,900, bringing the salaries to the maximum allowed under state law. Fredericksburg’s per-capita income is 20 percent higher than Waynesboro’s, according to the latest census data. Fredericksburg also has a significantly larger business tax base.

It’s simply unfathomable that a pay raise is even being broached at this time. Even our elected officials in Virginia’s executive branch are cutting their pay to help ensure ends meet. If Mayor Williams finds his job requires too much time and responsibility and is dissatisfied with what the position pays, he should resign and focus on running his business. Again, I respect the service of Mayor Williams and the Waynesboro City Council, but a pay raise simply shouldn’t be on the table for discussion at this point.

Byron C.T. Spicer
Waynesboro