With the average City Employee sticking with the City for more than 10 years, (three years higher than other comparable municipalities) perhaps the new study reports didn't take into consideration we're on the Eastern Shore and not around the Washington/Baltimore Beltways.
The study also used Ocean City, another out of line comparison.
Mayor Ireton stated he was surprised the percentage findings weren't higher. That's because you're a Liberal Mayor and you've never been in the private business sector. When you're someone like Jim Ireton who has spent his entire career working for government, of course you want more pay.
We shouldn't be comparing the City to private business, ever. We also shouldn't allow studies wherein places like Rockville and other municipalities providing government jobs never got hit by the recession in the first place.
People take jobs with municipal government for two main reasons. Health insurance and job security. Unfortunately for people like Lore' Chambers, Larry Dodd and many others got screwed by the current Mayor, many made a bad investment working for the City. We could also add ALL of the Council Members who had their health insurance taken away by Barrie Tilghman and the City Council simply out of spite.
And where might the City Employees go if they're not satisfied with their pay here on the Eastern Shore? NOWHERE! Why, because your Mayor can't help make Salisbury an attractive place for businesses to relocate, creating high paying jobs.
The study doesn't say that City Employees are underpaid. Instead it says the City could lose people to other jobs elsewhere. You gotta LOVE those liberal studies. So the LANGUAGE the Mayor wanted is there to demand a $748,000.00 pay increase overall.
So lets look at this professionally. IF you have an average of employees staying with you for more than 10 years, your not going to lose them in masses. IF you don't have high paying jobs elsewhere, employees aren't going to leave.
Now, all that being said, has the City fallen way behind in pay increases, yes. Should the City start looking at slight pay increases, yes. You have some damn good employees working for the City and they should be rewarded. IF the Mayor and Council would have sold the old Fire Station for what it's really worth, we'd be that much closer to these increases NOT coming out of the taxpayers pockets. IF the Mayor and Council would have refused the additional $500,000.00 for the Zoo, you'd be that much closer again. Parking Lots, EDU's and the list goes on and on, all of which YOU will have to pay for in tax increases again.
Mayor Ireton is screwing up the City and bringing it to its knees because he has NO EXPERIENCE.
Yes, it was your election to lose.
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
31 comments:
Has anyone seen a 8.5% pay increase in the past 5 years. I haven't. Not even close. I'm lucky to have a job. There's always unemployment, food stamps and welfare as an option.
Maybe he's acting like O'Malley coming in high so we'll settle for less. With unemployment as high as it is right now and Wicomico County losing 1,600 jobs last month they should be happy they even have a job.
Give them an 8.5 % raise and then fire 30% of them. It's not like they do anything.
the old mantra was that you made less but had better benefits. the new mantra isw that you make more money and get better benefits and you can't be fired. so please take your study and put it where the sun doesn't shine. be happy you have a job
who cares what other places make? if you accepted the job @ $8.00, so be it. you couldve negotiated then.
Ireton is fixing Salisbury the way Obama fixed Detroit.
Why should we want the people that work for us to be the people who chose less salary and more "security?"
Don't we want the best people working for us?
If so, shouldn't we pay them like it?
How in the hell can a study be approved by the administration costing 44,000 dollars when every sitting member past and present knew the outcome of the study? Someone has to be getting kick backs for this.
I imagine Ireton wanted a raise, also.
You have to include the value of the benefits plus the pay to determine total compensation. Then compare this to other pubic and private organizations to determine if they are under or over paid.
We all know city, county, state and federal entities have very generous benefits that far exceed what the private sector provides. So don't just look at the pay rate, look at total compensation.
2:49 don't we want the best people working for us?
your assumption is that of a private sector employee. i suggest you look at most government employees
Government jobs were never meant to pay well. The private sector simply cannot afford it any longer.
For those government employees reading this - get another job if you don't like it.
Competitive salaries here should be compared with other comparable public sector jobs. I realized when I took a job in public service that the salary was lower than that offered by private sector employers who make a profit. Government is supposed to be non-profit. If I want more money I'd look elsewhere but I would rather stick with public service for the health insurance and a retirement benefit.
I want people that work and are not jerks at 8:01am in the morning because they hate their job. Guess what. Bureaucracy is not a job. Its a disease.
Go back to your useless desk and STFU.
The city and county employees... some are way over paid, and others... well, the "position" should just be eliminated.
They used Ocean City as a comparison? Who are "they?"
One thing is for certain-Whomever "they" are shows a complete lack of competence and utter stupidity. To compare a resort town with Salisbury is beyond comprehension.
I read the DT's story and Ireton's quote about being surprised that Sby wasn't further behind.
It's hard to believe your mayor is so dumb. Did he not read the study and the comparables used before commenting to the press?
Was there a study done to see how much more the taxpayers should be paid by their employers.
New motto for Salisbury --
the Detroit of the Shore!
they could have used that $44000 on raises
90% negative comments.All,or rather most of you are very easily provoked.Why such animosity over an issue that you yourselves would be concerned about if you were city employees?
Most of us are underpaid in the current economy! Why should the city employees get an 8.5% raise (or any raise at all, for that matter!)? My coworkers and I haven't seen a raise in going on 5 years, but nobody's wasting 40 grand to find out what everyone already knows! Good grief. If the city employees get that raise, it's gonna be ugly in Wicomico County, mark my words!
We all need to be grateful we have a job. This infuriates me!!!
Quit.
Yes the Captain was screwed over by Hoppes and Ireton!
Look, private business is in business to MAKE MONEY. Government is in the business to NOT make money.
To compare the two to be competitive is simply wrong. Are the Liberals trying to change THAT as well?
Spending so many years in Bowie, I saw the majority of people living there hold jobs in Washington, D.C. Bowie was loaded with Levitt homes and in the early 1970's were selling for under $20,000.00. Now those same homes are worth around $400,000.00. Can you say the same for Salisbury?
Nevertheless, I'd say the majority of people I went to school with ended up with government jobs and have now retired with a stable income, great benefits and homes that have INCREASED in value.
When your in that kind of environment, income certainly isn't the highest priority. Can you AFFORD your home with the job you hold, obviously most of the people working for the City can. It doesn't matter if you rent or own. Its about affordability.
To go out and get average incomes from outside the Eastern Shore is ridiculous. Salisbury isn't seeing increases like Bowie, Rockville and other Towns. This is one reason why I screamed so loud when the City was building a $14,000,000.00 Fire Palace. We built a Fire Palace bigger and better than ANY other municipality in the state, yet they rarely see a fire.
If the City Employees aren't satisfied with their income, MOVE. I'm sure with more than 1,000 people per MONTH losing jobs in the County, someone will be more than happy to replace them.
We as citizens/taxpayers have to start taking back our City. I read on the last page of the Metropolitan a message from Council President Jake Day. They asked him multiple questions about revitalizing Downtown Salisbury. What amazed me about this article was the fact that this City Council and Mayor feel the need to take control of property they don't own and make it into what they want, or feel is best for everyone else.
In reality, it's the City's job to MARKET what they already have in a joint effort. Jake is quotes as saying, In what way can the community help in this effort? "The most important thing they can do is be enthusiastic and optimistic cheerleader for our city".
Optimistic about what? 500 new subsidized housing units Downtown on parking lots WE own? There's no DETAILS about their plan, just words and feel good statements. They offer a VISION, a DREAM, none of which has ever worked. And we should be paying these people more because??????? The City's income is going down, way down, NOT UP. You REWARD people like Delaware does. NO TAXES, low property taxes. WHY, because they MARKET the state and do a damn good job in doing so. Delaware has proven it can be done. Maryland has proven they can milk their investors for almost every penny they earn. And if that isn't enough, well, just keep raising taxes because during their term, while the real estate market is as horrible as it is, people can't even afford to leave.
Jim Ireton and Jake Day have absolutely no clue what they're doing. Day is a RINO.
Get some leadership in there that BUILDS the City up WITHOUT taxpayers money. It was the leadership in the current and past that drove businesses out in the first place. Make the proper incentives to drive businesses and investors here and they will flock here just like they do Delaware. Bring in the good paying jobs and once the City EARNS an incredible income, REWARD them all. Until then, the study is a load of CRAP.
Interesting comments. If you want good people you have to pay for them. People can live anywhere from Cambridge east and work on the other side of the bridge for 3 times the money... wake up - good people (especially the younger profesionals) will leave and you will not attract new talent from elsewhere if you are not willing to pay. The big city and better money isn't that far away.
8:27
Those places also come with higher taxes. Higher home prices and longer commutes which requires more money for fuel and insurance.
Ocean city has a lot more revenue from property taxes. Name one free loading subsidized development in Ocean City?
The study isn't comparing apples with apples, more like comparing apples to a dung heap.
Salisbury has so many public schools and non profits like the PRMC, SU and other non tax paying entities, that probably half of the city's square footage pay no taxes at all.
Another reason Salisbury can't be compared to Ocean City is that their property values are going up, so their tax revenue also goes up, not the percentage, but the overall cost to match the amount their property value goes up = more property tax revenue.
Where most places like Salisbury/Wicomico county, property values are going down and produce less tax revenue causing the tax percentage rate to go up so the overall revenue stays at the same rate.
The property tax that OC collects from the inlet to 10th street collectively is probably worth as much as the whole city of Salisbury if not more.
So what cities would you use?
The problem is Salisbury has the largest year round population of any municipality on the Maryland eastern shore. There really isn't a "sister city" or truly similar city to compare to. The people who did the study did the best they could. It's easy to criticize what they used until you have to find a couple of dozen comparable cities yourself.
Earth to municipal brain .... you don't determine pay scales based on fantasy of other like minded ruling class members, you have a budget (new word for you), and you don't spend more than you take in! It called financial responsibility. If you currently are 40% in the hole, all costs must be reduced to the level of revenues only. Ya know kinda like 98% of the taxpayers in this country.
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