Video: Louisville Workers Get 3% Raises

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LOUISVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) — Louisville’s finances have survived last April’s tornado well enough for city workers to get a 3 percent raise.

It’s the first across-the-board pay increase for the city’s 75 employees in more than two years. The raise takes effect immediately.

City leaders waited until this month to consider the pay hike to finalize the city’s health insurance plan and to gauge how the devastating tornado would impact city revenues.

The pay raises will cost the city budget about $4,500 a month.

Mayor Will Hill says property taxes are down but sales tax revenues have more than made up the loss as rebuilding continues more than eight months after the storm.

“We are like most cities that property taxes aren’t all of our budget. Sales taxes are a bigger portion of our revenues,” the mayor explained.

Hill says the city could see even bigger gains this year as property owners finish rebuilding and start refurnishing their homes and making other purchases.

“It’s not the way you would want to jump-start your economy,” Hill says of the retail resurgence. “We’ve been fortunate to have a building supply store here and two car dealerships. Those have been important to sales tax revenues as people rebuild.

“As people start moving into new homes, we think home furnishing stores, the building supply stores and even gift shops will continue to fuel our retail economy. It’s good that we have those opportunities here and that our people don’t have to go somewhere else to shop,” Hill added.