Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport's interim chief executive officer is getting a temporary pay increase.
The airport authority's board of directors on Monday approved giving Sylvester Lavender a temporary pay raise of 5 percent. The pay increase will be retroactive and begin when he was appointed to the position on July 28. His pay rate will go back to normal after a new CEO is appointed.
Lavender's permanent position is the airport's director of finance with a salary of $144,497.60. With the pay increase, his salary will grow to $151,722.48 a year.
The board of directors also gave a 5 percent pay increase to Mani Iyer, an airport accountant, who is currently serving as interim director of finance. His salary will go from $79,248 to $83,210.40.
No action has been taken to hire a new CEO since the Birmingham Airport Authority Board of Directors ended its contract with search firm Aviation Career Services in July. The firm conducted a six-month search and submitted five finalists for the position to members of the authority via email, according to documents obtained by AL.com.
When previously asked why the firm was fired, board member Chris Johnson, who chairs the search committee, said the board felt that the best decision would be to allow the new board members to have input on the selection of the new CEO.
Miguel Southwell, the former manager of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, served as Birmingham's interim CEO since Feb. 1. His contract with the airport ended in August.
Longtime Birmingham airport president and CEO Al Denson retired in January.
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin appointed four new members to the seven-member airport authority board in July.
The CEO search committee has yet to meet with its new members.
In other business, board member Robert Earl Kelly, who chairs the human resources and compensation sub-committee, asked that the authority consider hiring Melva Tate of Tate & Associates to conduct an in-depth human resources audit.
No vote was taken, but board President Bobbie Knight agreed to meet with Tate about a prospective contract.
Tate formerly worked for Kelly at Kelly Roadbuilders. She was also included in Aviation Career Services search for an airport CEO. Tate's clients include REV Birmingham and Birmingham Business Alliance.
Flight news
Delta Airlines has added a non-stop, mid-day flight from Birmingham to New York City (LaGuardia Airport), airport officials announced during Monday's board meeting. The flight is daily.
Delta already had a morning and evening flight to LaGuardia.