South Jax discussions take place on residency requirements, trustee pay

By Gary Scott on July 22, 2016 at 7:13am

Trustee Kem Wilson holds up a sign that will be on displayed in the village's upcoming parade.

Residency requirements and trustee compensation were among the topics discussed during three South Jacksonville meetings last night.

South Jacksonville Mayor Steve Waltrip says he believes members of the Personnel and Finance Committee are in agreement when it comes to department heads being required to live within the Village.

“We tried to line it up to be similar to what the police department has, and then the water and sewer, which are under union contracts. All employees can live within a thirty-mile district, but it was mentioned tonight, and I think that everybody’s in agreement, that department heads must live in the village,” says Waltrip.

Another item brought up during the Personnel and Finance meeting was the issue of trustee compensation. Co-Chair Kem Wilson mentioned that, after researching other comparable towns in the area, South Jacksonville trustees receive considerably less compensation.

“It came to my attention that our pay is less than anyone else around. So, I decided since someone brought that to my attention that I would do my own research. and so, I ended up calling seven different communities, and we are definitely the lowest of anyone around,” she says.

Wilson went on to explain why this issue is now coming up…

“The reason that I’m considering this is just because, first of all, we have not even talked about this for twelve years. The mayor has had a raise since then. The clerk has had a raise since then. And the trustees have not. it’s not all about the money. We’re working because we enjoy doing our job, and we want to represent the citizens, and we want to do our best… but it does involve a lot of work, and it does involve a lot of time,” Wilson explains.

“It’s also, whenever you have the positions open for trustee, you want to get quality people in here.”

The Public Protection Committee, as well as the Planning and Public Facilities Committee also met last night. Other discussion topics included improving the Village’s board room, an ordinance violation court and a solicitation opt-out option.