The Memphis City Council met on February 20, 2024, to address several items including a proposed salary for a new MLGW vice president, multiple resolutions for stormwater infrastructure funding, and a controversial ordinance to extend health benefits to elected officials. The council voted to send the MLGW salary item back to committee, approved stormwater bonds and other resolutions, and defeated the health benefits ordinance after public opposition. The meeting also featured public comments on transparency and city projects.
Next Steps: The MLGW salary item will be reconsidered at the MLGW committee meeting on March 5, 2024. Councilman Carlisle noted that Director Connect will meet with members to discuss stormwater project funding in their districts.
Is this a raise from the current salary? What is the top committee? Representative from MLT and W can answer that question. So any questions you have about the item you can direct them to the job. Okay, what can I ask? What is the job description? So usually what happens. Mr. McGowan. Okay, so one of the considerations that you might have is to refer this matter back to an appropriate committee where you can have all the questions you want rather than deal with it tonight. But if you want to deal with it tonight, you can do that. But that would be the prudent thing to do. So should we so should we motion to I move to send this item back to committee on March 5th for the MLGW. So move by Councilwoman Walker, seconded by Swan J. Washington. There's still two other members in the queue, Councilman uh Carlisle and well, take the back. Councilwoman Swearinger Washington. Spinoza. Oh, we it's been we have a motion moved by Walker, seconded by uh Sware Washington. But to respect the council members, we're gonna allow them to uh ask their questions to speak their peaks prior to uh taking a vote on the motion. Councilwoman Swearinger Washington. Thank you, Chair. That's what I was going to ask to make a motion to send it back to the personnel committee in two weeks. MLGW committee in two weeks. Yes. Is it okay? We have figured it out. We'll figure it out from our point. Councilman, so councilwoman Swan Washington. Are you coming in? Councilman Carl, are you next? Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, if memory serves me, I think we've typically heard all of the MLG MLGW appointments in the MLGW committee. However, it's the chair's prerogative. Um I haven't, you know, I'm not gonna object to this. I know we've got several new members that would like to have an opportunity, and I don't I don't know if Chief McGowan um wants to make a few remarks. I'll certainly um if it's okay with the chair recognize them, but um the information that comes, I I'll just make a quick comment generally, and this may come off probably wrong, and I'll circle back. But the but the reality is is I know people see 200,000, and that's a lot of money for a lot of people, but this is a company that does two billion dollars a year annually in revenue. If this were a private sector job, it would be what the c the total compensation package would be well over a million dollars a year for a C CO. What they're calling a vice president of communications. That's that's not a that's just a fact. It's not a hard fact. It'd be a base compensation of somewhere between 200 to 500,000, and that's just to pay the tax bill on the stock options they would award that individual. So I I just want to get that out there because I do recognize it sounds like a lot of money, and and there's gonna be a comment about how it's a public utility, etc. etc. But for a $2 billion revenue a year company, $200,000 for a uh what really is a chief communications officer is steal. Um if you want to to attorney Wade's point, debate that individual's qualifications or whether they're a good fit for the organization, you're certainly entitled to do so, but I wouldn't get caught up in how this seemingly is is highway robbery and way too expensive. Um four-year analysts in the energy sector make 280,000 dollars a year for private gas and oil companies.