What probably could have taken little time for Lamesa City Council members to approve the 2024-2025 budget took almost an hour Thursday after one member suggested adding two-percent pay raises into the proposed budget.The meeting was the second the council held this week. They conducted public hearings on both the budget and the new tax rate of 68.5362-cents per $100 valuation Tuesday.Other council members suggested instead to consider pay raises next year. For right now, the budget is $147,000 in the red. Salary increases would just increase that amount.“Raises are perpetual. They don’t go away,” said City Manager Joe Hines.