Term limits, pay raises. What to know as Savannah Council boosts salaries for elected posts

CORRECTION: This story has been updated to reflect that Alderwoman Kesha Gibson-Carter voted in favor of term limits. Alderwoman Alicia Miller Blakely and Alderwoman Bernetta Lanier voted against term limits.

Savannah City Council on Tuesday took the first step towards adopting term limits for alderpersons and approved a salary bump for council members.

Enacting term limits is not something that falls expressly within the powers of city council, as dictated by the city charter. Instead, the approval of the agenda item allows city staff to ask the Georgia General Assembly to make changes to the city's charter.

The Legislature will be asked to limit alderspersons to three four-year terms in any one seat, starting when the next council is seated in January 2024. Terms of less than four years will still be recognized as a full term, but prior terms, including those of the sitting council, won’t count towards this total.

For instance, prior to becoming mayor, Van Johnson represented Savannah’s 1st District for four four-year terms. But these terms wouldn’t count towards his total, since he served in those positions prior to 2023.

Savannah’s charter already term limits the mayor, restricting them to two four-year terms consecutively. Technically, this limit doesn't restrict a mayor from holding the office for two terms, skipping a term, and then coming back, but that hasn't happened in recent memory.

The charter reads: "any Mayor who has been elected for two consecutive four-year terms of office shall not be eligible to be elected for the succeeding term."

Council voted 7-2 to approve the term limits, with Alderwomen Bernetta Lanier and Alicia Miller Blakely in opposition.

Why council approved pay raises for members

Savannah council members approved a pay bump for elected posts. Currently, alderman receive $25,000 annually during their terms. With Tuesday’s approval, the next council will receive $30,000 yearly, and $5,000 for mileage and office expenses. Savannah’s next mayor will also see a raise in salary, from $57,000 annually to $65,000.

The current mayor and council will continue at the current rates through 2023's end.

This vote went through 6-3 as well, with Lanier, Gibson-Carter and Blakely voting against the measure.

"I oppose this, because, on yesterday, I had the opportunity to talk to a sanitation worker who took it upon himself to show me his pay stub, where he only got 37 cents for an increase in his pay," Blakely said. "I cannot, in good faith, want to get a raise on this dais, when we have sanitation workers who only make $15.37. It’s not right, and it’s not fair."

Johnson made reference to the $15 minimum wage enacted by council for city employees in the 2022 budget. Alderman Kurtis Purtee made note that this pay bump applies to the next council, not this one, something outlined in the agenda item itself.

"Furthermore, the Mayor and Aldermen of the City of Savannah believe that a salary adjustment is important to attract qualified residents to run for office in this election year, while further recognizing that the current City Council may not enact legislation to affect their current compensation," the agenda item read in part.

"It doesn’t matter," Blakely said. "We should not be getting an increase, the next council should not be getting an increase."