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More than two dozen Atlanta employees received raises last month about the same time Mayor Shirley Franklin announced her plan to lay off nearly 80 city workers.

Four workers saw their salaries jump by more than $15,000, city records show.

One union leader said Friday the raises need to be investigated.

"It was bad timing in light of the layoffs and budget problems," said Gina Pagnotta, a Public Works employee who is president of the city's Professional Association of City Employees. "It gives an impression of laying off some to give raises to others."

City officials defended the salary increases, noting most of the 28 workers making more money were promoted and that many of them are performing more duties.

"The important thing is [the increases are] within the budget," said Benita Ransom, the city's commissioner of Human Resources. "It wasn't as if people were laid off to give other people raises. These people are performing more duties. You have to pay people for that."

Still, the timing of the salary hikes rankled some city leaders.

"It certainly is not the most sensible thing for us to do with the recent layoffs," said Councilwoman Felicia Moore, who pressed city officials earlier this week for information about rumored raises.

Fourteen of the 28 workers who received raises last month were firefighters. The others were City Council staff members and planning, airport and watershed management employees.

The promotions and raises were submitted by department directors. They went to the city's Human Resources department and then to the city's chief operating officer for final approval.

The payroll records were obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution under the Georgia Open Records Act.

On June 27, the City Council asked Franklin to cut spending by $14.6 million rather than approve her plan to raise property taxes to balance the budget for the fiscal year that started July 1.

While Franklin's staff worked on a plan to cut the budget, some city workers received salary increases. Twenty city workers got raises on July 10. A day later, Franklin said she was laying off 78 city workers and not filling 112 vacant positions.

Moore said the raises highlights the need for the council to have greater oversight over some personnel matters. The council recently passed legislation that requires department directors to provide written justification for raises or promotions. The changes must be approved by the council's Finance/Executive committee.

Franklin vetoed the legislation earlier this week, saying the changes will slow city operations.

"Reverting to a process that requires council to adopt legislation for each personnel transaction is burdensome and inefficient," she wrote in a letter dated Thursday.

The council is scheduled to vote whether to override Franklin's veto at its Aug. 18 meeting.