In December, city employees received more than $400,000 in one-time raises and city officials promised to give a similar raise at the end of 2014.

Now, the Selma City Council is following through on that promise with a proposal that would prevent the city council from withdrawing money from the half-cent sales tax fund once it reaches a certain level.

During Thursday’s city council work session, councilman Cecil Williamson proposed a measure that reads: “No expenses [shall] be made from the half cent sales fund which will reduce the balance in the fund below $450,000 and that said balance [shall] be used to give all city employees a raise before the end of 2014.”

Williamson said he proposed the measure because the council frequently uses the fund to pay for miscellaneous expenses.

“We tend to use this fund for things other than what it was intended,” Williamson said.

we take care of our employees and give them a raise.”

Though city officials call it a raise, the increase only comes one time, functioning more like a bonus.

After the meeting, councilwoman Bennie Ruth Crenshaw asked Williamson about the possibility of pushing for a permanent raise rather than a one-time increase.

“If we were to do it for two years, it almost seems like it would be better to put it together and give a permanent raise,” Crenshaw said. “I just don’t like the idea of lump summing it like that.”

Williamson agreed with Crenshaw, that the council should pursue a way to give employees a permanent raise, but said a permanent raise requires the city to subtract additional social security and other taxes.

“The only disadvantage I see with that is that whatever we give them has to have a certain amount taken out for the taxes,” he said.

Williamson plans to bring the measure up for a vote during Tuesday’s regularly scheduled council meeting.

Though the council is working toward a solution for current employees, Mayor George Evans suggested the council also look at giving retirees a cost-of-living raise in the near future.

Williamson said, with his measure, enough money would remain in the half-cent tax fund to provide retirees with a raise.