TYLER (KYTX) -- Pay raises are on hold for each of the approximately 900 people working for the city, who could have otherwise been eligible for up to three percent extra starting this month.
The city's looking for a three percent increase in sales tax revenue, when added up for the whole year, before they green light any extra payroll spending.
"I am fortunate to still be employed," city of Tyler employee Beverly Abell said. "And I am fortunate to still have a job."
During the last three years, she watched friends in other cities who weren't as lucky.
"Now they are not employed," she said. "They're not able to provide services to the citizens. Their departments don't even exist."
"What we have tried to do from day one is live within our means," Tyler Mayor Barbara Bass said.
Bass worked with city leaders to create a special requirement in this year's budget: Get three percent more money in, and employees are eligible for a raise that could also be up to three percent. But the sales tax missed the mark.
The numbers through October were looking great, and beating that three percent goal, but November was unexpectedly low. There are a lot of things that effect the numbers, including state audits of big retailers.
"When that audit is over that retailer could either owe more money or maybe in some cases they computed something wrong and actually overpaid," Bass said.
Now the city is re-crunching the numbers, hoping shoppers were kind as they checked off their lists.
"I'm perfectly comfortable with that, I understand that," Abell said. "That is the way it is, and that's the way it should be."
Mayor Bass emphasized that things are still looking good. As far as money goes, the year has been good for the most part. She said even though the raises were supposed to kick in at the start of the year, they'll get the increases into effect as soon as possible if December's sales tax turns things around.
