North Little Rock notebook

Aldermen pay rise in budget proposal

A plan to provide 3 percent pay raises for city government employees, proposed as part of the 2016 budget, also would increase the pay for aldermen for the first time in 13 years.

The eight aldermen are paid $10,300 annually. The 3 percent increase would raise their yearly pay by $309 to $10,609 beginning Jan. 1.

The last pay increase for aldermen was in April 2003. Before that, aldermen’s pay hadn’t gone up since 2000 — when their salaries rose from $4,709 annually to $10,000. Considered part-time employees, aldermen have been excluded from salary increases since 2003 that the three full-time elected officials have received.

The 3 percent raise also would increase the annual salaries for Mayor Joe Smith to $106,584, a $3,104 increase; City Attorney Jason Carter to $131,329, a $3,825 increase; and City Clerk/Treasurer Diane Whitbey to $68,728, a $2,001 increase.

With additional expenses for employee benefits, the city’s total cost for the officials’ raises would be about $12,960 a year.

Legislation separate from the proposed budget will need to be introduced and approved by the City Council to increase the pay of the elected officials.

$100,000 set to aid repairs at lake dam

About $100,000 in city funding will be allocated in the 2016 budget to help repair Lakewood Dam on Lake No. 1, north of Waterside Drive, Mayor Joe Smith said Thursday.

The repair will cost an estimated $400,000, Smith said, with the city to pay onefourth of that cost. Lakewood Property Improvement District will fund the remaining expense, he said. Smith said the expense was inadvertently excluded from a budget preview to the City Council.

The dam is part of the city’s drainage system.

“It holds back all the water from Lake No. 1,” Smith said.

Pike Avenue area to get patrol focus

About a dozen departments will focus this week on a specific area of the city for police patrols, code enforcement, animal control and other services.

The emphasis, in conjunction with the Baring Cross Neighborhood Association, will be on the area between 15th and 25th streets, west of Pike Avenue, city spokesman Nathan Hamilton said.

City employees walked neighborhoods notifying residents of the program last week and also mailed information to all residences, he added.

The emphasis is a repeat of similar efforts in specific areas during previous years.

Follies fundraiser tickets still available

Tickets remain available for the annual Fall Follies Fundraiser for the North Little Rock Woman’s Club on Saturday at the Patrick Hays Senior Citizens Center, 401 W. Pershing Blvd.

Tickets are $25 for a catered barbecue dinner at 6:30 p.m. The event will open to the public at 5:30 p.m.

Tickets and more information are available by contacting Helen Greenfield at (501) 835-5019.