Reed Doesn't Stand in Way of City Council Pay Raise

Atlanta mayor allows ordinance calling for more than a 50 percent pay increase to slide into law without his signature, but promises to work with city workers next month in effort to reach across-the board pay increases for Atlanta employees.

The 52 percent pay raise that the Atlanta City Council voted to give itself last week became law on Wednesday despite Mayor Kasim Reed not signing off on it. But he didn’t block it either as the wife of an Atlanta police officer had asked with her change.org petition urging Reed to veto the pay increase and instead reward the city’s first responders. On Dec. 3, council members voted 10-4 to reward itself a pay increase from $39,473 a year to $60,300 that will now take effect in January 2014. When the council approved the ordinance, Reed said through a spokesperson that he believed many members of council deserved a raise, but was concerned about the timing. While the council has not received a pay increase since 2005, with the pay hike, …

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