Just on the heals of the school system approving a $15,000.00 per year raise for school superintendent Crawford Lewis,the county commission had the 1st of many budget meetings
It's to early to tell what will happen, but the 1st shot fired was by Connie Stokes shooting down a proposed 11% property tax hike. Shortly after this, she seems poised to shoot down Burrell Ellis' 1% across the board raise to all who are left after job cuts and early retirements, known as "a workforce reduction". Click here for more.
Acting Chief O"Brien presented to the board the need for volunteer officers. He would like this to be in place by March of 2010, just in time to use it as another leverage to get the old timers out the door. Click here for more on volunteer police.
Today we just saw the toes being stuck in the water for temperature and lingering snapping turtles.
Stay tuned for more
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
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5 comments:
The County BOC has no say over the school system, so they can give the raise and face the music from their own constituents. Glad to see Stokes putting her foot down on a tax increase. It is ludicrous to increase taxes in the face of the recession, I wish more politicians would remember that citizens disposable income is insufficient for a tax increase. The 1 percent raise cut I could see coming, the money is not there for it. So the employee pension increase will not be balanced by a pay-increase.
I am hearing some nice incentives on the early retirement option. Every time when it comes to pay increases or benefits I have been screwed royally by the county, even HR admits it. Its nothing personal, just county politics. Now the politics favor an incentive to retire early, unfracken' believable!
I hope every one reading this blog will email the School Board about their unconscionable act of giving Crawford Lewis a $15,000 pay raise. Teachers are being forced to take three days without pay; bus drivers took a 29% pay cut; and there aren't even enough books for all the students. I back our PD and I also back our teachers.
Whats all the complaining about boys we got our Tasers back, and we now even have spotlights on our cars for the first time in 20 years that im aware of.
No more having to depend on the good ol county issued DD flashlights.
Hell i've got night lites in my house that work better.
Now with that being said the right thing for Crawford Lewis to do is to deny the raise and say no thanks, be a stand up employee or will you be like the rest.
What am I thinking! hell I wouldnt give back a 15k raise either, I'd stick it right in my pockett as well and buy Ol Ethel her bottle of rum now, yea thats the ticket.
As for the proposed 1% pay raise, Mr. Ellis, you can keep it. Honestly, I can accept it better for you to tell me that there is no money for a raise because 1% be of little benefit. The way I calculate it at my current pay rate, it would give me less than a $1.00 per day net income increase. That's right, less than $1.00 a day. I can't feed myself from McDonald's, Burger King's, etc. value menus at that price. It just won't help any more to pay the bills. The way I see it, it will only increase how much more I will have to pay for taxes, medical, and the pension due to the annual increased taxable income. Please sir, just forget this. It's pointless. And it sounds like the BOC and the citizens won't support it either. Hopefully later, eh, if the day ever comes when we can be fairly paid.
Another gripe I have is the constant talk about referring to how many "jobs" are looking at having to be cut or positions eliminated. When I interviewed to come work here, I told the interview board I was "career-minded". I was not looking for just a job. Despite so much negativity pertaining to many things since I have been hired (no need to be repetitive - it's all in this blog somewhere), I keep telling myself to "stay the course" for "a brighter day". There are many of us who keep sticking with the county through the good and the bad, so I find it insulting that "careers" and being referred to as "jobs". I'm giving my life to the county and its citizens for my career and I expect to have a life after my career for my family's and my sake. Please think and speak more repectably.
The last thing I would like to say nowadays I am having second thoughts about our pension plan as good an idea as it might have seemed in the past. This is because if there are those of us, and I am speaking about all county employees regardless of department, who are looking at loosing their careers, these possible unfortunate employees probably would have been better off contributing to a secure retirement plan that is portable. Again, the decision about these proposed cuts you all will be discussing and considering are probably going to have a considerable impact on us greater than you might be thinking currently.
So, you can keep my 1%. I believe it will serve the greater good for all of us since it won't do so for me or my family personally. Okay?
How is it that I have been here 6 years and made more money while in the academy??? This county is about to sink, it wont be long before everyone one jumps ship....
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