Aldermen got the first look at the 2010-11 city budget Tuesdaynight in a short meeting that set the stage for this year’s budgetwork sessions.

City Clerk Mike Jinks said the basic questions that have to beanswered revolve around basic operational things such as salariesand equipment costs.

But so far, officials said, there appears to be room for a 5percent raise for city employees, which somewhat makes up for thefact that budgetary constraints kept any raise from being possiblein the past year.

“We’re down more than five employees, and that means we’re up acouple hundred thousand dollars that we’ve saved,” Ward SixAlderman David Phillips said. “I think through those savings, theraise you have here at 5 percent can be justified.”

Mayor Les Bumgarner said city workers are often subjected to somerough work conditions and deserve a raise in most cases.

“I look at the street department and the solid waste, the cemeteryand the water departments, these people are making $8 an hour andworking in 100 degree weather,” he said. “Meanwhile there arepeople in prison in the air conditioning, and people on welfare whomake more.”

Meanwhile, he said, the workforce is aging, Bumgarner said, addingthat many of the city’s employees are in their 50s and 60s.

“Young people just don’t want these jobs,” he said.

Aldermen did not discuss whether they were included in the payraise plans.

The board also discussed insurance rates.

Jinks said as he has looked at them over the last year, he hasaimed to keep the hike below 10 percent, since last year’s increasewas 22 percent. He said his numbers at this point show a 7.2percent increase, but there are several issues with the new healthcare bill that could affect how it needs to be handled.

Jinks said there is a seminar Wednesday that he will attend thatwill address some of the questions he has about how the insuranceissues need to be dealt with.

One of those issues is that the new health care bill may requireemployers to shoulder at least part of dependent insurance costs,he said, and the city has been trying to gradually transfer theentire dependent cost to employees.

“I don’t suggest shifting any more of the dependent costs to theemployees yet because we could just have to take it all back,” hesaid.

The board also discussed the possibility of a code enforcementofficer to help deal with issues of lot cleanup and animal controlissues like numbers of chickens in the yard inside the city.

The next work session will be held Monday at 6 p.m.