The Covington City Council is giving itself a nice raise next year.

As best we could tell, council members felt the raise was deserved because of the numerous hours and hard work they spend representing the city.

One council member even mentioned the many meetings she attends around the state, which, we should mention, are paid for by taxpayers.

True, the council and mayor’s pay rates have stayed the same since 1977; however, during the last four years we’re willing to bet many of their constituents have had to go without any raises despite extra responsibility.

We were concerned about the raises at first, but some recent actions tell us that at least some council members are indeed working harder as they micromanage the city’s operations.

The council, for all practical purposes, took over control of the Main Street Covington program this week, a program that has been recognized as one of the most successful in the state.

Councilmen Keith Dalton and Chris Smith have wanted Director Josephine Kelly gone for the last three years, and, with the help of the mayor, they got their wish. Now it’s up to them to run it better.

Active council members are needed, but so are council members who understand their role and don’t needlessly involve themselves in day-to-day operations.

Maybe this is the reason the council and mayor are putting in so much more time these days.

Might as well shut down all the city’s volunteer boards; our council members have it all under control. How else can they justify those bigger paychecks?