Aberdeen aldermen to cut salary again for mayor they say is absent

Published 9:54 am Wednesday, August 22, 2018

ABERDEEN, Miss. (AP) — Aldermen in a northeast Mississippi city are cutting a mayor’s salary for the second time this summer, saying he’s been absent from city business and unavailable to the public.

The Aberdeen board of Aldermen voted Tuesday to cut Mayor Maurice Howard’s salary by $10,000. The board voted in July to cut Howard’s salary by $15,000. His salary now totals about $19,000.

The board also moved Tuesday to have Howard surrender his gas card and the keys to his city-issued car. It voted in July to bar him from being reimbursed for out-of-town travel.

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The board says both cuts are because of issues including Howard’s absences and unavailability. Howard has said he works every day for the city, even if he’s not at city hall.