An informal survey of similar-sized cities finds the Brookhavenmayor’s $56,064 a year salary and the aldermen’s $14,016 annual payplaces them near the top of the list.

For the survey, The DAILY LEADER contacted officials in citieswith similar or slightly larger populations than Brookhaven and inmunicipalities that rank near Brookhaven in monthly sales taxcollections.

Brookhaven officials have approved an annexation ordinance thatwould raise the city’s 9,861 population, but the higher populationtotal has not been determined. Annexation consultants are expectedto be present at Tuesday’s board meeting.

Aldermen included themselves and other elected officials in 3percent pay raise plans approved almost two weeks ago for full-timecity employees. They were the fourth pay raises for electedofficials in the last six budget years.

Some communities, such as McComb, have part-time mayors and cityadministrators or managers who are responsible for duties that arehandled by full-time mayors in other areas.

“Our mayor and selectmen are considered part-time,” said McCombCity Clerk Russell Wall.

Brookhaven mayoral pay trails a combined $78,000 McComb spendsin compensation for its mayor and city administrator. However,Brookhaven aldermen’s pay more than doubles the $6,000 a year perselectman in McComb.

Like Brookhaven, Wall said McComb employees received 3 percentpay raises this month at the start of a new fiscal year. The mayorand selectmen, though, were not included.

In a similar situation, Grenada’s part-time mayor earns $12,844a year, with a city manger’s salary at $62,000. Aldermen make$10,712.

A city spokesman said employees receive cost of living raisesevery year, but the mayor and board of aldermen are not alwaysincluded in those plans.

State laws governing some forms of government dictate pay raisesituations in some municipalities. Greenwood was an example.

City Clerk Deirdre Mays said the full-time mayor’s pay andaldermen’s pay were raised July 1, 2001, at the start of thecurrent term. The mayor’s pay went from $60,000 to $67,200 andaldermen pay rose from $12,000 to $13,440.

“They can’t vote themselves a raise. They can put them for thenext term,” Mays said.

Officials in some communities could not recall the last timetheir mayors’ and aldermen’s pay were raised.

“I know that the last several terms they did not get raises.They definitely didn’t get raises this term,” said Mary Dean, humanresources officer for West Point where the mayor earns $50,000 ayear and selectmen $18,000.

In Indianola, the mayor received a small raise last October whenthe salary rose from $38,000 to $38,750. It has been at least threeyears since aldermen’s pay was increased, a city spokesmansaid.

To the west in Natchez, the mayor earns $69,800 a year whilealdermen are paid $18,500 a year. Those salaries have been in placesince January 1998, said City Clerk Donnie Holloway.

Set in 1999, Yazoo City aldermen make $14,412 year, which isclose to Brookhaven aldermen’s pay. However, that city’s mayor islimited to a $13,530 a year salary because he is a retired schooladministrator and cannot make more under state law, according to apublic records request response from the city.

In one of the few situations like it in the state, Vicksburg’smayor earns $70,000 a year while its two full-time aldermen, whichoversee designated city departments, earn $56,000 a year. The threeofficials’ salaries were raised this year, a city spokesmansaid.

Salaries cited in the survey do not include heath insurance,retirement contributions or other city-paid benefits.