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Commissioner Anderson opposes millage increases without transparency on new high-salary positions
Summary
Commissioner Anderson and several residents pressed the commission for detailed line-item justifications for proposed new positions — including a cited chief-of-staff figure of $350,000 and a public information office budget approaching $500,000 — and she voted against the proposed millage cap as a result.
Commissioner Anderson repeatedly objected to setting a high millage cap without a line-by-line public justification for new positions and departmental requests. During the meeting she cited proposed figures for a chief-of-staff position and the newly proposed public information office and said she would not vote to provide what she called a "blank check."
"If we hire a chief of staff at $350,000 plus 40% [benefits]...I just can't support a 0.75% millage rate increase when we don't know where that's going," Commissioner Anderson said. She asked that commissioners be able to meet with department heads and publicly review why each new position is essential before increasing the tax cap. Mayor Nesta and other commissioners disputed the characterization that budget materials were hidden; the mayor said detailed line-item wish lists had been provided to the commission months earlier and committed to additional project trackers and monthly updates from departments.
