A state lawmaker who says he might – might – sponsor a private act allowing Hamilton County commissioners to set their own pay predicts getting what they want won’t make them as happy as they hope.
Commissioners voted Dec. 16 to ask lawmakers to repeal a section of state law that ties their pay increases to those given to the county mayor. That vote came after one of the commission’s backroom letters gathered six signatures in favor of the change.
Their public stance is advancing transparency: If they want a raise, they would have to hold a public vote. Some, though, have also made clear they feel underpaid in their part-time jobs.
“My reason for doing it is, the first time I got a raise I didn’t know I was getting one,” said Chairman Chester Bankston, who signed the letter. “The best way to do it is to be transparent.”
But state Rep. Mike Carter, R-Ooltewah, remembers back to 1999, when the commission got that private act passed after not having had a raise for 12 years.