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                    "Columbus Light and Water\u2019s General Manager Angela Verdell has waited five months for a response from the utility\u2019s board of trustees after requesting a 19% salary increase and additional bumps to her benefits.\nRobert Smith, CLW board member, said he hopes to finally give her an answer to that request at a recess meeting of the board this evening. He also hopes that answer is no.\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tRobert Smith\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\n\u201cI\u2019m in favor of giving her a slight raise, but not no 19% raise,\u201d Smith told The Dispatch on Tuesday. \u201cNo way I can\u2019t support that.\u201d\nIn response to a public records request, CLW provided The Dispatch a letter Verdell emailed the board May 19 requesting the pay increase, which would bump her salary to about $214,200. She also wants her Public Employees Retirement System payments to increase from $1,000 to $1,500 per month, which would bring her total compensation to $220,200.\nAdditionally, she is wanting five more days of annual paid leave, which would bring that total to 30 days \u2013 equivalent to six work weeks.\n\u201cDuring my tenure, I have remained committed to strengthening CLW\u2019s operational performance, financial stewardship, employee leadership and long-term strategic objectives,\u201d Verdell wrote in the letter. \u201c\u2026 In consideration of the expanded scope and complexity of responsibilities, demonstrated organizational accomplishments, evolving leadership demands and the absence of merit-based salary adjustments throughout my five-year contractual agreement as well as the measurable impact and value this position has delivered, I respectfully request consideration of the following contractual provisions.\u201d\nVerdell was hired in June 2021 to replace longtime GM Todd Gale, who passed away four months prior. Her five-year contract paid an annual salary of $180,000, more than Gale was making at the time of his death.\nAfter receiving Verdell\u2019s raise request, the board extended her current contract terms by three months through October, board member Barbara Brandon told The Dispatch.\nVerdell did not respond to calls or messages from The Dispatch by press time.\nThe board will hold a recess meeting at 5 p.m. today at CLW\u2019s board room to discuss the request.\nBad optics?\nCLW has raised water and sewer rates by approximately 27% since 2023. Over that same time frame, electrical rates have increased by nearly 10%.\nIn light of those rate increases, Smith said giving Verdell a 19% raise would provide bad optics to customers.\nBrandon, the newest board member who was appointed in June, agrees.\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tBarbara Brandon\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\n\u201cI\u2019m just trying to figure out (how) we in Columbus, Mississippi, and with the economy the way it is (can justify that raise),\u201d Brandon said. \u201cAnd I\u2019m knowing people that have food insecurities, and half of them can\u2019t pay \u2026 their utilities. So (the raise) would be a little over the top for me right now.\u201d\nBoth Smith and Brandon said Verdell has done an excellent job leading the department since she was hired and would support a less substantial raise for her efforts.\nBoard member Shane Tompkins declined to comment on Verdell\u2019s request when reached by The Dispatch on Tuesday.\nNeither board president Brandy Gardner nor board member Stephanie Gale responded to requests for comment Tuesday.\nSmith said the board has been split on the matter so far, and he believes the vote will reflect that.\n\u201cI would hope that \u2026 the board as a whole would come to some type of consensus, but I don\u2019t think it\u2019s going to be (a) unanimous (decision),\u201d Smith said. \u201cI really don\u2019t.\u201d\nComparing the numbers\nVerdell in the May letter outlined several accomplishments over her tenure, including securing more than $11 million in grant funding for projects, including infrastructure improvements, new electrical vehicle charging stations and utility enhancements.\nBeyond helping to receive those funds, Verdell also noted she has worked to continue improving the electrical and water divisions\u2019 overall effectiveness through efforts like an improved outage management system, her continued work on CLW\u2019s water meter replacement plan and continued efforts to streamline both the electrical and water departments.\nSmith said part of his challenge with Verdell\u2019s request is not in her ability but is more based on where her new salary would compare with other utility general managers in the area.\nEdward Kemp, who runs the similarly sized Starkville Utilities, makes a salary of $185,215. 4-County General Manager Brian Clark makes $276,820, but the nine-county area the cooperative serves includes almost twice as many customers as CLW.\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n      \n      \n        Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community."
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