Mayor Wynn: COUNCILMEMBER ALVAREZ?
Alvarez: THANKS, MAYOR. REALLY JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO MADAM CITY MANAGER FOR HER HARD WORK THROUGHOUT THE LAST FOUR YEARS AND I DON’T KNOW IF EVERYONE REALIZES THAT SHE HASN’T RECEIVED A RAISE FROM THE COUNCIL SINCE SHE WAS APPOINTED CITY MANAGER SO THIS WILL BE THE FIRST TIME ACTUALLY THAT WE WILL BE GIVEN — GIVING A RAISE TO HER BASE WAGE SINCE SHE WAS APPOINTED. YOU ALL KNOW THAT WE’VE HAD THREE VERY TOUGH BUDGET YEARS. THE LAST YEAR WASN’T TOUGH BUT WE WERE AT LEAST DEBATING WHAT THINGS TO ADD BACK VERSUS WHAT THINGS TO CUT. SO RELATIVELY SPEAKING IT WASN’T AS BAD. BUT AS SOON AS THAT PROCESS WAS DONE, THEN THE — ACTUALLY AS THAT PROCESS WAS GOING ON, THE KATRINA AND RITA EFFORTS BEGAN, SO — SO THAT IN AND OF ITSELF REPRESENTED A CHALLENGE UNLIKE WE HAVE EVER SEEN AND THIS — IN THIS COMMUNITY AND OBVIOUSLY MANY COMMUNITIES AROUND THE COUNTRY HAVE EVER — HAVE EVER SEEN OR HAD TO DEAL WITH AND — AND I WANT TO COMMEND HER AND HER STAFF AND OUR MAYOR FOR THEIR LEADERSHIP A
