Budget, litter, police wages all discussed by Jackson City Council
JACKSON, Tenn. – Budget amendments, litter codes, and the Great Wolf Lodge were just a few of the items on the agenda for the Jackson City Council on Tuesday.
Brought in front of the city council was a budget amendment to give the Jackson Police Department an additional $304,826 to raise salaries.
Multiple council members expressed their desire to support the police department in ensuring that their wages are comparable to other agencies.
“We have to remain competitive to recruit and retain. This is a first step in kind of a two-fold process to get our starting salary, now will be at $50,000 once we have our second reading for that. And then we will go into the second step of getting our starting salary at 53. So that’s just not for starting officers. It goes into a compression if it goes to 53. It will take care of our command staff as well,” said Jackson Mayor Scott Conger.
Another item on the agenda was the second reading of a new addition to the city’s litter code.
This is an attempt to hold people accountable for littering or illegal dumping.
Cameras will be out on Jackson Energy Authority poles in areas where littering and illegal dumping are common to try and catch those individuals.
“So this was on second reading. We passed it last month to add some teeth into the ordinance so that we can hold people accountable for littering. Whether that be they were caught by someone seeing them, or if there is a receipt on the side of the road with their name on it. It just gives that ability for us to hold them more accountable,” Conger said.
There was also a vote for the amended land purchase-sale agreement for the Great Wolf Lodge.
This amendment approves a little bit more land for additional buildings, parking, and other needs.
“For their state incentives, they have until December 31, 2024 to start construction. I think they are on target to do that. They have had several visits here, several meetings about what the next steps are; immediate steps to get them to that groundbreaking and construction phase before December 31 of next year,” Conger said.
The meeting concluded with the list of city council members and their board appointments.
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