Celina City Aldermen Unfreeze Their Part Of Veterans Service Officer Pay

The Celina Board of Aldermen unanimously voted Tuesday night to restore the city’s portion of pay to its Veterans Service Officer.

Aldermen voted last month voted to freeze their portion of the pay after a dispute with former officer Brad Halfacre on the proposed Veterans Memorial. The $20,000 annual salary is split between Clay County, Jackson County, Gainesboro, and Celina. Celina American Legion’s Jed Donelson made the case for unfreezing the funds.

“You got somebody here local who has direct access to the system,” Donelson said. “They train on the system. They have a network of people they go to to work with. ‘Hey, I’ve got this what can you do to help me, what am I missing here,’ that kind of stuff. You can’t do that on your own.”

Alderman Kenny Westmoreland suggested the board unfreeze the funds and think about raising the salary of the position in the future.

“A raise will definitely be something we will be considering,” Westmoreland said. “If we take a look at what, I mean they are paying that man peanuts pretty much.”

Celina and Gainesboro each paid $3,000 of the salary, while Jackson and Clay Counties each paid $7,000.

The Veterans Service Officer helps veterans see what kind of services and benefits they could qualify for and helps them apply for them.