The Chattanooga City Council is close to sealing the deal on employee pay raises and approving a $209 million 2012-2013 fiscal year budget.
The council met today during a special-called budget and finance committee meeting and debated how pay raises should be divvied up among the city's 2,100 employees.
Several council members supported Mayor Ron Littlefield's original proposal - a 3 percent across-the-board pay hike for civilian employees, fully funding the police officers' career ladder and giving all employees who have worked for the city five years or more $75 in longevity pay per year of service.
The council will vote on the budget today at its 6 p.m. regularly scheduled business meeting.
For complete details, see tomorrow's Chattanooga Times Free Press.