In one of the shortest budget sessions – at 40-minutes – Lamesa City Council members Thursday considered increasing pay raises, redesigning the council room and purchasing Christmas street ornaments. After presenting the council with preliminary budget figures, City Manager Joe Hines asked for directions about where they want him to go when it comes with updating the 2023-2024 proposed budget.“This is not an action item. What I need is guidance,” Hines said.At the start of the meeting, the budget contained only .75-percent pay raises for city employees. Several council members objected to the low figure; worried it doesn’t keep up ...