From a Letter from Mayor Gary Fuller.  When the good citizens of Opelika hired me in August, 2004 to be their mayor the salary for the job was $52,000 a year and it had been the same amount for 16 years.  When the City Council voted to change their salary as well as the mayor’s salary, effective when the new term began in November, 2008, I made a pledge that I am now fulfilling.  I told the Council when they approved the pay raise on February 19, 2008 that I was going to continue working for the same salary and that I would contribute any difference to charity or non-profits groups.  I also promised that I would publish the names and amount of my contributions to different groups.  Mitch Price, City Controller, has informed me the difference in “take home” pay from the old salary to the new is $15,072.  It was not a hard decision to contribute this money to folks that need help. 

Here is the listing of contributions we’ve made this year:

•$5,000 Opelika Sportsplex & Aquatics Center,
•$2,000 Lee County United Way,
•$1,500 Harvest Evangelism,
•$1,250 Orphanage Emmanuel,
•$1,200 The Way Ministries,
•$1,000 First United Methodist Church Sonrise At Risk Pre-K Program,
•$425 Opelika High All-Sports Booster Club,
•$2,870 to various other recipients including Lee County Literacy Coalition, Boy’s & Girl’s Clubs of Greater Lee County, Lion Tamer’s Social Club, Global Impact Church, Brooklyn Tabernacle, Union Grove Missionary Baptist Church, AME Zion at The Hill, Opelika Main Street, Youth for Christ, St. James Missionary Baptist Church, Hopes Inn, Opelika High School Project Graduation Class of 2009, Keep Opelika Beautiful, Friends of Scouting, East Alabama Arts Association and Children’s Miracle Network. 
•Grand total of $15,245.

This is from a Letter to the Editor to local media.  Promise fulfilled.  Thanks to Jan at City Hall for including Opelika Daily News. ~ JK