CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — A judge is lobbying the City Council to give up its plan to cut his salary by more than half.

The council recently voted 10-2 to reduce the salary City Judge Charles Smith''''s elected position from $28,900 to $12,000.

I don''''t have anything against Judge Smith, Harrison said, but this is a year of cuts.

Smith argues that time spent on the bench is an incomplete gauge of a judge''''s workload.

In an e-mail to The Leaf-Chronicle of Clarksville, Smith said bench time is no more reflective of the many hours spent discharging judicial responsibilities than would a similar report suggesting that City Council members only ''''work'''' when the council meets for each session.

During a phone interview, Smith said he couldn''''t answer how many hours outside the bench he works. He said he reviews citations, enters dispositions for default judgments, conducts legal research for unusual cases and discusses with his court clerk requests to reconsider past judgments.

You do what needs to be done, Smith said.

Smith said he has contacted several council members and Mayor Johnny Piper, asking them to reconsider, providing them with a packet of materials supporting his case.

In 2004, the council requested a survey of city judges'''' salaries in nine Tennessee cities. It then decided to boost the city judge salary from $12,000 to $25,000.

Harrison cast the lone vote against the increase.