A 15 percent raise awarded to City Manager Aretha Ferrell-Benavides has ignited public controversy and deepened divisions among Martinsville City Council members, with at least one council member indicating he will pursue a legal challenge.
Following a May 6 community budget meeting, council member Aaron Rawls said that to his knowledge, there had not been a vote on the city manager’s salary increase, but he believes there should be.
“Unfortunately, what I have to deal with is a legal route, basically ask a judge to put the nix on it,” Rawls said, until “there is a proper vote or evidence there was a vote.”
Tensions surfaced during the meeting between city officials when Rawls asked whether the council could table the scheduled May 8 vote on a proposed tax increase. City Manager Ferrell-Benavides responded that the vote could not be delayed, and doing so could require restarting the entire budget process.
“I don’t know what she’s talking about,” Rawls said in an interview with STAR News after the meeting. “I wish you knew what she was doing. It’s very frustrating.” He added that he now feels obligated to consistently verify legal requirements in the course of handling city business, and while advocating for a revenue neutral budget.
Rawls said he heard another council member reference an 8.5 percent budget increase and claim there was no justification for abandoning a revenue-neutral approach. However, Rawls said he believes the additional funds are being spent on what he called frivolous expenditures such as certain types of training, cars and trips.
“It took me under eight minutes to come up with a revenue neutral budget,” he said. “You can tell what someone values by looking at their checkbook.”
Rawls said he does not support current pay raises, but would consider any that are directed at public safety personnel. He expressed concern over what he described as increased staffing in the city’s human resources department.
He also claimed to have identified multiple errors and inconsistencies in the proposed budget, prompting further inquiries.
“Who adds $300,000 to a Budget Procurement Department for salary?” Rawls asked. He said he has reached out to school officials and department heads to question the discrepancies but reported that “no one seems to know.”
“We are increasing expenses on you all (taxpayers) by $650,000,” Rawls said, adding that he does not see that figure as an investment. “They are one and done purchases. Six firefighters have already left the city,” he said, warning that if current spending trends continue, there won’t be money left for employee raises in the future. “This is it.”
The March 17 Meeting: Votes, or No Votes?
At the center of the dispute is what transpired during and after a March 17 council meeting, with council members offering vastly different recollections.
“The initial meeting had nothing to do with the city manager’s pay,” Jones said. “It was a review of her, and not only was a review of her completed — it was a review from the year before.”
He said Ferrell-Benavides never asked for a raise. According to Jones, after the council reconvened in open session, Vice Mayor Kathy Lawson first introduced a motion, which was withdrawn for more discussion.
Council member Julian Mei then made a subsequent motion, which was passed.
Rawls did not attend the meeting.
Mei disputes that a vote occurred in open session. “No vote was taken in the public session on the 17, regardless of the erroneous meeting minutes that were released,” he said.
He said he remembered a discussion to give Jones negotiating authority but did not recall any formal vote in public session. “It was sort of vague, and then we left,” he said.
Mei also took issue with statements made by Jones to STAR News, denying that he ever made a motion to approve the raise. “That is 100 percent incorrect unless I’m living in an alternative universe,” he said.
After the meeting, Mei said Jones accused him of being “the leaker” for sharing details of the closed session with Rawls.
At the April 1 meeting Mei tabled the draft minutes, saying they did not reflect what actually happened. “I don’t remember certifying anything,” he said. “Also, whatever statement LC” made publicly “is not what occurred to the best of my recollection.”
Mei said he has emphasized publicly that the council must be mindful of transparency and the optics of approving raises while the city undergoes a reassessment and compensation study.
Rawls echoed those concerns in a Facebook post, stating that the council never voted publicly to raise Ferrell-Benavides’ salary.
“You are able to confirm this for yourself,” Rawls wrote. “On the city website, you will see no agenda, video, or meeting minutes of such an action. We’ll do everything we can to keep as much of YOUR money where it belongs — in your pocket.”
Jones, meanwhile, alleged that internal council dynamics are fueling the controversy. He accused Mei of changing his position following media scrutiny and private discussions.
“Well, if you pay attention to consistency — first he said that he didn’t make anything, then he said, oh, he did make the motion, but he didn’t mean to make it like that. Then he says, well, he made the motion, but he meant this,” Jones said. “So, it’s a consistent new story every day.”
In a March 18 letter, Jones informed Ferrell-Benavides of the pay increase and additional changes to her compensation, including a $10,000 Deferred Compensation contribution and a city-issued vehicle in place of a car allowance.
“This adjustment reflects our continued confidence in your ability to drive progress and serve our community with excellence,” the letter stated. “It also aligns with the city’s original commitment upon your hiring, recognizing the significant 31 percent salary reduction you accepted to join us.”
The city manager “never asked for more than that,” he said, adding if she had wanted more, “it would have required a vote of council.”
He added that he is pleased with Ferrell-Benavides’ performance. “I would give her more if I could,” Jones said, noting that many residents have praised her work.
Jones has maintained that the raise was within his authorized limit of $215,000 and did not require further council action.
“She never asked for more than that,” Jones said. “Had she wanted more, it would have required a vote of council.”
The pay hike went into effect in April and the city is working to update the figures online, Jones said.
“There are employees who got a higher percentage increase,” he added. “One individual was making more than the city manager before the raise.”
Freedom of Information Act Costs
Jones also addressed Rawls’ claim that he had to pay for a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request related to the city finances and travel.
Jones added that all citizens are charged based on the work required to fulfill a FOIA request, but that Rawls could have received the information for free by going through the city manager.
“Had he just sent the city manager an email and requested the information, he could have got it. Still would have probably took about the same amount of time,” Jones said. “Anytime I’m requesting information from the city manager or I’m having a conversation with the city attorney, all council is privy to the information.”
In an interview with Star News, Jones referred to Rawls as a ‘snake oil salesman,’ related to Rawls’ statement that he had created a revenue neutral budget in fewer than 10 minutes using numbers from previous budgets.
Jones said if that were true, Rawls should have presented his budget proposal at the meeting.
Council Travel and Unused Rooms
Jones said criticisms regarding city-funded travel are selective and overlook past examples, including his joint trip with Rawls to Las Vegas for a retail trade show.
He noted that the city has occasionally paid for rooms that were not used, including one for Mei, who Jones said backed out of a trip due to a conflict of interest.
“Julian Mei did it the first year for four-year conflict of interest training. We went to Richmond. I got up in the morning. I didn’t get a room. I drove to Richmond, drove back the same evening. And he didn’t go,” Jones said. “These are things that they don’t tell when they’re trying to point a finger at everybody else. That’s why I said investigation needs to happen, not only on me, but on me as well as everybody else.”
Call for a Citywide Investigation
Jones had previously called for a formal citywide investigation into council actions, and potential ethical violations, including among volunteer boards and commissions, but on Tuesday he said he scaled back the scope of the proposed investigation after consulting with the city attorney.
“It was gonna be too expensive, and it was just going to too many different places,” Jones said. “That can just turn into something very expensive, very extensive, on and on. So, I narrowed the scope.”
Jones said the investigation should focus on “unethical practices, misuse of office, (and) conflict of interest that has a financial adverse effect on the city of Martinsville.”
Jones said he encourages residents to pay attention and make notes of current and past moves of council members. As an example, he revisited a previous decision involving the removal of Jennifer Bowles from the Piedmont Planning District Commission. He acknowledged the move was legal but said it was rooted in a personal conflict between Rawls and Bowles.
“We replaced her with Joey Martin. We did it legally, but we used the loopholes and the rules to do it,” Jones said. “That was a personal attack, cause it was a personal issue between Aaron and Jennifer. I went along with that, but what I’m saying is these are the types of things that people forget, and he (Rawls) doesn’t accept responsibility for. I’ve had a conversation with her. I did—I went along with it, but it wasn’t right because we removed her without cause.”
Jones emphasized that no laws were broken, but now that Rawls is on the receiving end of scrutiny, he’s “pointing fingers.”
