Dear Editor:
Springhill is Special! That’s been the motto of Springhill for as long as I can remember. I can truly say that it is a Special place in need of a boost to help it get back on track. That leads me to what I see happening in our community. This past Christmas Season, Christmas Parade, and Christmas Extravaganza along with our Mardi Gras Parade and Farmers Market have done more to bring people into Springhill to shop, eat and just have fun. Let’s not forget the Piney Woods Jamboree every month. Why is this happening? Two words, “Hard Work”. Hard work by many people that feel the same way I do about our community. People that want to see our community succeed and grow.
Now that’s not to say that our community isn’t without its share of troubles. Yes, we have some blight to get cleaned up and need to bring back that strong community pride. That’s beginning to happen through the hard work of the many that are working to make things happen.
I am proud of our little town, and I am proud to serve on the council with my fellow councilmen and women. They all have the same goal and that is to make Springhill a better place. We may not always agree with each other, but in the end, I know that they will make decisions on what best serves the community. If anything, we have all found out that there are those that would rather find fault and criticize rather than serve. Being an armchair quarterback is easy. I’ve done it. Serving is hard. It is a person’s right to criticize and find fault, and criticism is good when it is done knowing all the facts.
That leads me to the most recent editorial about the pay raises for city employees. The Police Chief brought to the council in December a request to increase the pay of 6 officers. One of which I had some reservations as to the position and order of reporting. At that meeting it was decided that myself, the mayor, and another council member would review all the salaries and pay scale for the city, meet with department heads and the police chief, and bring back a solution to the council. In reviewing the current pay scale, it was discovered that the city was using data from 2010. So, if the council had granted increases to the 6 officers it would have simply been putting a Band-Aid on the problem. The whole system needed to be reworked. With over 30 years’ experience in this area along with resources to review the market for each position, I was asked to do this.
In putting together, a market evaluation and a plan, several factors needed to be addressed. These included the fact that the city was paying 100% of every full-time employee’s health insurance, many positions had changed and needed to be looked at, and of course how to pay for it. Employees are now asked to pay an amount toward their insurance, positions that were empty due to retirement or termination were not to be filled and no new positions will be approved, and of course each department needed to look at cutting some in their current budget as well as look for cuts in the 2024-2025 budget. The ticket fund is slated to be used to cover police salaries and equipment, so a large part of the cost for the police department will be covered by that fund in addition to some budget adjustments. To make sure it was right we took our time and didn’t move as fast as some might have liked. No, we didn’t hold the police department hostage, just wanted to get it right. The result was that all employees except for the Public Works Director and elected officials received an increase. The Public Works Director salary was found to be in market range compared to other cities our size.
Last year the city had to increase the water cost to cover the system. The law requires the city to run their water and sewer department as a separate business and monies collected through taxes should not be used to cover the costs. Water rates are what they are due to the repayment of loans to the USDA that covered the cost to install new water lines throughout the city except for North Acres and Meadow Creek. These loans must be included in the water department and repaid using funds generated from the sales of water and sewage services. Believe me when I say that every council member lost sleep over it, but in the end, they did what had to be done. We should all be proud of the fact that during the snowstorm we did not lose water or issue a boil advisory like some other cities. Thanks to the dedication of our employees.
As I started out saying, Springhill is Special! I believe that with all my heart. We are fortunate to have great medical services, fire, and police and soon a new Emergency Room. Our entertainment has grown and is going well thanks to the Piney Woods Jamboree and those working to make special events just that “special” I am thankful for the retail business in our city, mom and pop stores, big box stores, restaurants and our local car dealer helping to keep tax dollars in Springhill. So, if you’re an armchair quarterback as I was, take a moment to ask what I can do to serve. Encourage a neighbor to clean up their yard or clean up yours. Can I organize a trash pickup along the side of the road. Do I know someone that might like to set up a business that you can encourage. It’s the little things we do that make a difference.
Derek Melancon
Alderman District 5 Springhill