The Star - News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area

Pay raises for two Elmer City employees are intact as the town’s budget process moves forward. Now it will be up to the council to pass the document, this Thursday night.

In a budget workshop, the second in two weeks, the council was split 2-2 in an advisory ballot, with Mayor Gail Morin breaking the tie in favor of the budget as it then stood.

It was all over giving Town Clerk Renee Tillman and public works Director Jimmer Tillman a raise in 2015.

This had been challenged by the husband and wife council team of Donna and Jeff DeWinkler.

The DeWinklers didn’t approve of raising the water and sewer rates to pay for the increases.

At last Wednesday’s meeting, Councilmember Jesse Tillman was absent. He is the nephew of both Renee Tillman and Jimmer Tillman, who are only related by marriage.

Mayor Morin said she thinks the budget will sail through when the full council looks at its adoption Thursday.

The increases would put both city employees at $19.50 an hour. Renee now receives $18.50 an hour while Jimmer gets $17 an hour. To pay for these increases the town plans to raise its sewer rate $3 a month and its water rate $2 a month. The sewer rate now stands at $38 a month and the water rate is $27 a month.

Mayor Morin has said the town hasn’t had regular rate increases in either of the two utility areas.

The DeWinklers had asked that the town not finish its budget until they had time to check other towns of similar size and see what they were paying their employees.

Donna DeWinkler stated that most towns of Elmer City’s size paid employees far less than employees were now receiving.

Asked whether Jesse Tillman would be able to vote on the budget since it included pay raises for an aunt and an uncle, Morin said he had no conflict of interest because he wouldn’t profit from it.

The budget could hinge on how Jesse votes.