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Saltville Council schedules June 17 vote after heated budget hearing over pay raises
Summary
Council set a June 17 vote to adopt the FY2025–26 budget after a public hearing where residents raised concerns about proposed raises—particularly the Town Manager salary—and staff recommended creating a separate capital improvement bank account.
The Saltville Town Council set a special meeting for 7 p.m. June 17 to vote on the FY2025–26 budget after a public hearing at its June 10 regular meeting.
Residents at the hearing pressed the council for more transparency in the budget figures and questioned several proposed pay increases. Julie Loggins said the Town Manager increase would “put us at 200% of the current income for households in the town of Saltville” and urged a comparative study with neighboring towns. Town Manager Cecile Rosenbaum told the council the budget advertising requirements had been met and that the proposed raises reflected committee suggestions, not a unilateral decision by staff.
Rosenbaum also said the town will deposit capital improvement charges to a separate bank account on a monthly basis to improve tracking. The council discussed a seven-calendar-day waiting period before formal adoption; following advice from the town attorney, members voted 4–2 to schedule the adoption vote for June 17, 2025, at 7 p.m.
The hearing included proponents of increased pay for key positions as well as callers for restraint. Archie Gobble praised the manager’s work and urged support for higher pay as an investment in local capacity: “You want a Cadillac you pay for one, if you want a Volkswagen you pay for one, I feel we have the Cadillac.”
The town manager said staff will continue to provide additional financial detail and that the council could defer adoption if members request more documentation prior to the June 17 vote.
