As part of an argument to continue to employ a full-time city collectors position, Collector Ruth Dowil told the city public works committee that department heads received pay increases from last year ranging from 5 percent to 14 percent.

She claimed that officials have stated that cutting the collector's position is a cost-saving measure but officials received large raises.

City department heads received a 3 percent pay increase last year. There was a 2 percent wage increase and a 1 percent merit pay increase that were given following evaluations.

According to Mayor Mike Livengood, Dowil used figures from the calendar year beginning in January 2008 and compared those figures to current salaries during the fiscal year. The fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30. He added that Dowil included two annual pay increases in her calculation.

According to Dowil's calculations, Parks Director Kevin Arand has received a 14 percent pay since he began working at the city in September 2008. "I'm not sure where the figures came from but I was given an evaluation and given a 3 percent raise," said Arand "That is what the board approved."

Dowil said she requested department heads salary figures in April and did not intentionally present skewed raise figures.

"I did ask for figures for 2008 and got and used those figures not really thinking about the (difference between) calendar year and the fiscal year. I still have not received fiscal year figures to compare."

Dowil has received a pay increase of 3 percent since 2006. Officials raised the discussion to outsource tax collection services to the county after Dowil requested a salary increase for the position for 2010. Dowil's four-year term expires in April 2010 and she is seeking a raise for the position during the next term. Now the position pays $38,922.

Following are each department head's salaries: City Administrator Russell Rost, $79,825; Police Chief Norman Brune, $59,618; City Clerk Jonita Copeland, $52,372; Community Development Director Joseph Graves, $58,377; City Engineer Jonathan Zimmermann, $65,627; Public Works Director Harold Lampkin, $61,683; Parks Director Kevin Arand, $43,260; and Financial Officer Heather Keith, $47,585.

Dowil added that the miscalculated figures do not change her stance. Monday, she asked aldermen to put the decision of eliminating the collector's position to voters instead of decreasing the salary and making the position less desirable.

"That was not my whole point," she said. "My point was if you decrease the collector's salary it will make it less appealing and basically eliminate the position."

Livengood criticized Dowil's statement that the city hired a financial officer last year and the duties of the city administrator decreased.

"We were going to hire an emergency management director and it was my idea to hire a financial officer instead," said Livengood. "The emergency management duties were given to the administrator."

Aldermen have been considering contracting Franklin County to collect city taxes as a cost-saving measure. If the city outsources tax collection, officials may reduce the salary of the collector because there will be fewer duties.

The county would charge about $18,000, plus some additional charges, to collect city taxes. The current collector's salary, benefits and payments to the city's insurance provider total over $60,000.

The city must seek voter approval to eliminate the collector as an elected city position. The board of aldermen can set the collector's salary.

"I strongly feel it's best for the community to have the county collect taxes," said Livengood. "There is no reason to have a full-time collector.

"I think it is a good idea to downsize government," he added. "If we can save money for citizens to use in other places I think it is a good idea."

Livengood added that if the county collects taxes, city front office staff members can perform other duties now performed by Dowil.

"I've watched the staff run the office and without the duties of tax collection there is no reason to pay a full-time director," said Livengood.

In July, aldermen were told the cities of Pacific and St. Clair did not cut their collector's salary when they contracted with the city. Rost noted that the city of St. Clair laid off a clerk when the county began to collect city taxes because the amount of collection work was reduced.

Dowil said the elimination of the position was due to a "budget crunch" in St. Clair.

The county collector's office began collecting for municipalities in 1998 when it started collecting for Washington. Other cities began soliciting the service. In 2006, Pacific was the latest to have the county collect its taxes.

Each of the cities the county collects for is assessed a charge for the service. One and one-half percent of the total charge goes to the collector's fund and one-half percent goes to the assessor's fund.

That money goes to the general revenue fund and offsets the extra costs in each office.

In addition to the collector and assessor charges, the county collector and clerk each get a $2,000 commission for their services. This is because both are held personally accountable for the accuracy of their offices.

Berger, Gerald, Leslie, Oak Grove Village and Parkway Village do not have to pay to have the county collect their taxes for them because so little tax is collected.

Another benefit to cities is that the county is better able to collect on delinquent bills. As long as the individual lives within the county, he or she will have to pay the collector's office personal property tax to renew license plates and tags at the Missouri Department of Revenue.