Jackson council asks AG if private funds can supplement police chief’s pay
Council member Tina Clay asked the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office on April 15 whether private funds can be used to supplement the salary of Jackson’s newly hired police chief, RaShall Brackney, Magnolia Tribune reported.
The request came about three weeks after the City Council voted 6-1 to hire Brackney, with Ashby Foote casting the lone no vote, Magnolia Tribune reported. Clay said she later learned Mayor John Horhn told Brackney her annual salary was $150,000, making her the highest-paid city official; council members had believed the starting pay was $133,000, the report said.
At a March 10 council meeting, members voted 5-0-1 to legally give Brackney a higher salary; Clay abstained while Foote was absent, Magnolia Tribune reported. Brackney began work April 1. Her $150,000 base pay is $25,000 more than the next-highest city department head, Lorenzo Anderson, who leads public works. Council member Kenneth Stokes was quoted saying, “We can’t get a Cadillac paying for a Volkswagen,” Magnolia Tribune reported.
Brackney’s contract includes $15,000 for moving expenses, $3,000 for housing assistance during her first three months and a clause entitling her to full base pay if terminated without cause during her first year, Magnolia Tribune reported. The salary dispute prompted Mayor Horhn to suggest using private donations to offset the difference, the report said.
Jackson Chief Financial Officer Jillian Caldwell told the council other options include taking $20,000 from the general fund, using auction proceeds or reallocating salaries set aside for vacant positions, Magnolia Tribune reported. The Attorney General’s Office told Magnolia Tribune its Opinions and Policy Division aims to turn around requests within 100 days. Tom Hood, executive director of the Mississippi Ethics Commission, told Magnolia Tribune that state ethics law does not bar public servants from receiving private-sector income but warned such payments can present conflicts of interest and noted a June 2022 opinion involved different facts.
Source: Original Article
