FERRIDAY — Pay raises are in order after Tuesday’s aldermen meeting in Ferriday, but not by as much as was originally advertised.

The board of aldermen voted to raise their pay to $500 a month, a $300 a month raise.

The ordinance to change the pay originally presented to the board was for $600 a month.

Alderman Jerome Harris said the pay increase was necessary in order to attract future aldermen.

“We need young people with new ideas,” Harris said. “We don’t want somebody just interested in the money. We want somebody interested in seeing Ferriday grow.”

Alderwoman Somer Lance wanted to know if the pay raise would take money from another fund.

“Every meeting we go through the financial statements,” she said. “Where are we going to get the money?”

Ferriday resident the Rev. Justin Conner said he supported the pay raise, especially in light an increase in the expense budget the board gave the mayor several years ago.

“We can sit in Ferriday and nickel and dime, but we have people who deserve,” Conner said. “We can’t ask for anything that we aren’t willing to pay for.”

Ferriday resident Liz Brooking said she didn’t oppose the raise, though she had one suggestion.

“If you elect to have a raise, have it effective with the next board that is seated,” Brooking said.

That’s because the aldermen knew what the pay was when they ran for office, she said.

“You already committed when it was set at another price,” she said.

Mayor Glen McGlothin said he thought the aldermen weren’t paid enough, but the current economic situation should be considered.

“I do think you all need to be compensated more, but I don’t think the time is right,” he said.

When the matter went to a vote, Alderman Elijah “Steppers” Banks introduced the ordinance, and all of the aldermen with the exception of Lance voted for it.

Also at the meeting, McGlothin made an announcement to all bar owners in Ferriday — shape up or ship out.

The mayor has the authority to pull a bar’s business license, and he has gotten numerous complaints about noise and problems in the parking lots of bars, McGlothin said.

Citizens have complained that they can’t sleep because of loud music, fights and public urination outside of the nightclubs, McGlothin said.

“I have gotten my last call about this,” he said.

“Are we going to harass bars? If you do everything right, you will never hear from me.”

Bars should be closed at 2 a.m., and parking lots should be clear of crowds at all times, he said.

“This (bar business) should not spill over into the neighborhoods,” he said.

But the discussion soon strayed from the loud music at bars to loud music from cars, with several citizens voicing complaints.

Eventually, Alderwoman Gloria Lloyd asked if there was any way the town could increase the fines for loud music from cars.

When McGlothin told her it would require an ordinance, Lloyd responded that she would introduce such an ordinance at the next board meeting.

In other news:

4The board approved a suggestion by Alderman Johnnie Brown to clean up the Montgomery Park.

But when Conner asked the mayor why the board was cleaning up a park, the conversation became heated.

“We have cleaned up (downtown) spic and span, and it is a disgrace how the rest of this town looks,” Conner said. “You need to come clean up where people live at instead of where they play at.”

McGlothin responded that it is the responsibility of landowners to care for their own properties.

“Why don’t the people who live in these areas make their neighbors clean their own yards up?” he asked.

Conner responded that it is town-owned ditches that need cleaning, and McGlothin said that in the past the town has done things like move abandoned cars only to be sued.

“Everybody needs to jump in and we will get this town clean,” McGlothin said.

After the exchange cooled, Brown interjected that the town has only recently acquired the equipment to do some of the street and ditch cleaning.

“We have a process,” he said. “We have been talking about this for the last three months.”

4The board voted to approve a motion by Banks to find out what they need to do to establish a Ferriday rodeo.

4The board voted to allow a renter in a property that was donated to the town to continue to occupy the space, except that the renter would now lease the space from the town.

4The board voted to have all parties involved meet and discuss occupancy of the old city hall.

Emerson Slain had been occupying the space since the previous town administration, but had never signed a contract with the city.

Now, someone wants to use it to house an after-school program, McGlothin said.

Slain agreed to meet with the other party and come to some sort of agreement.

Whatever that agreement is, it needs to be contractual, McGlothin said.

“If it burns down and something happens to it, we are liable for it,” he said. “I’d rather have something in writing. I feel funny that way.”

4The board voted to allow Conner, who is a justice of the peace, to use the Ferriday Police Department for the location of his justice of the peace court.

4Though the board was scheduled to discuss the possible payment of former Mayor Sammy Davis Jr.’s legal fees, Banks — who placed it on the meeting agenda — had the discussion item removed before the meeting began.