Gulfport Gives Cost of Living Increase to City Employees

Gulfport City Council passed a balanced budget Tuesday with no cuts in spending. The budget will also give a cost of living increase to city employees.

Natasha Tate has been working for the City of Gulfport since 2004 and like others, she has not seen any increase in her wages since 2007, but Tuesday, the Gulfport City Council passed a flat $1,000 cost of living adjustment for all city employees. For those like Tate, that means more money to bring home to her family.

Tate, Gulfport Fire Chief Administrative Assistant, says, “It’s going to be very beneficial for my family. I have three boys, three growing boys, and it’s going to help us out so much with the cost of living, with gas and groceries and everything going up. It’s going to be very beneficial.”

This time seven years ago, gas was about $2.50 per gallon in Mississippi. Today, it’s $3.12 per gallon at most pumps along the Coast. Gulfport employees have watched the price of gas and food go up, while they’re salaries have lagged behind. Tuesday, the city is proud to give back to those who work hard for the city every day. Gulfport Mayor, Billy Hewes, says, “We’re working to bring more business and jobs into the city every day. If we can get those things to come together, it ought to put us on a good footing for future budgets down the road, but we thought that it was time to find a way to tighten our belts and do something for our employees.”

Not only does this mean an increase in wages for those who keep the streets of Gulfport clean, it also means the budget has been balanced without any cuts for the first time in nine years.

Hewes closes, “We have a number of departments that have historic surpluses that continued to get returned to the general fund, and any time we do make a move like this, those are recurring expenditures, and we want to make sure we can sustain those.”

With no cuts, residents will not have to see a cut in services or programs, and with city pay increases, families will have a little extra in their bank accounts.