The Meridian City Council voted to give future council members a significant increase in pay Tuesday citing the amount of time and energy needed to do the job right. A seat on the City Council is classified as a part-time job and comes with a salary of $20,000 annually — jumping to $27,000 beginning July 1.

 

In explaining their action council members said the position may be part time on paper, but representing the city’s wards is definitely a full-time job.

 

There is little doubt that serving on the council is a demanding position, and $20,000 is a light sum when put up against the financial decisions council members are asked to make on a monthly basis. For example, Meridian’s monthly bills, which the council is charged with paying, routinely run in the neighborhood of $2 million per month.

 

The council’s financial situation, however, should be a wakeup call to the struggles low-income residents in our community are faced with every day and the danger of cost cutting at the federal level.

 

If a part-time councilman can’t make ends meet on $20,000 a year, how can we reasonably expect a full-time worker in our city to get by on minimum wage, $7.25 per hour, which comes out ot $15,080 per year? What about an entry-level worker with the city, positions which start in the $9 to $10 per hour range, or $18,720 to $20,800 per year?

 

But there are programs to help, right? Programs to help purchase food? Programs to help with utilities? For how much longer?

 

At the federal level, a government-wide overhaul risks cutting those essential grants and programs that help some of the most vulnerable residents in our state. Federal funding makes up more than 32% of state and local revenue, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and cuts at the federal level will be significantly felt in our local communities. In Meridian, where roughly 32% of the population is below the poverty line, the cuts will fall especially hard.

 

Incoming City Council members will see their checks get a bit bigger than anticipated thanks to Tuesday’s vote, but the discussion cannot and should not end there. As elected and appointed officials look to cut what they see as waste and unnecessary bloat, they will undoubtably impact the funds and programs our friends and neighbors rely on to put meals on the table and keep the lights on.

 

When that happens, let us hope our council members remember their own struggle to balance the budget and show the same compassion for Meridian’s low-income residents as they show for themselves.