The County Commission on Thursday approved three percent raises for all employees, including County Mayor Jim Coppinger and members of the commission.
In turn, that translated into similar raises for Mayor Ron Littlefield and members of the City Council.
The system is set up so that the mayor of Chattanooga makes the same as the county mayor. Members of the City Council make 15 percent of what the city mayor earns.
The city officials only get raises if the county mayor does.
Richard Beeland of the mayor's office noted that the city also passed three percent raises, but he said that did not apply to the mayor and council.
The pay of County Mayor Coppinger (and thus Mayor Littlefield) goes from $146,607 to $151,006.
Pay of the County Commission members goes from $20,745 to $21,368. The vice chairman goes from $23,921 to $24,639 and the chairman from $27,100 to $27,913.
Pay of the City Council moves to $22,651. The vice chairman will make $25,151, and the chairman will make $27,651.
The County Commission base is not tied to that of the county mayor like the city's is.
The county included the raises in the budget that was passed Thursday morning. The tax rate remains the same. Ambulance charges will rise following a $1.2 million deficit last year.
All constitutional officers, including the sheriff, have agreed to also give the three percent raises to their employees, it was stated.