Chairman Culver Wants Another $ 6.000.00 Per year Compensation

Rickey Stokes

Viewed: 5422

Posted by: RStokes
Date: Jan 08 2016 10:41 AM

HOUSTON COUNTY:   Houston County Commission Chairman Mark Culver wants an additional $ 6,000.00 per year.

Houston County furnishes the Commission Chairman a vehicle. The county has furnished Culver a Dodge Durango for years and now a Chevrolet Caprice Classic. The average life of the vehicle furnished to Culver is app. 8 plus years.

When Culver replaced the Durango for Culver, the Durango went to Emergency Management. That vehicle is in use today.

Culver has asked the local delegation of the Alabama Legislature to increase his compensation by $ 6,000.00 a year rather than furnishing him a ride.

However the local legislative delegation and other decision makers have serious reservations. They do not support giving the additional $ 6,000.00 per year compensation. In fact, most decision makers feel this s a end run game by Chairman Culver to increase his compensation in order to increase his retirement benefits.

Last legislative session Chairman Culver attempted a pay increase. His attempts for that increase failed to gain the full commission support. Culver’s increase did not pass.

Chairman Mark Culver has been furnished a county vehicle since 1997. The legislative delegation and other decision makers are suspicious of why now is Culver wanting to change. And many feel that it is to only increase his lifetime retirement benefits.

The decision makers do not feel that changing is in the best interest in the people of Houston County.

With Chairman Culver all decision makers feel that they have to over analyze. They feel there is always something suspicious about his request. And that is very well true.

Chairman Culver was given a raise years ago. For an elected official to receive a raise in their term that compensation has to be titled "expense allowance". The expense allowance is not suppose to be treated as compensation for retirement benefits.

However Chairman Culver and Houston County Accounting was able to get the retirement system to count that expense allowance towards salary. That made retirement benefits higher than what they should be.

While this item is not on the agenda for Monday, some say it might be added. If not on Monday this is a item that Chairman Culver will attempt before the Alabama Legislature begins for 2016.

<- back