Joe,
I brought this up when Chiefy Webster was here and it was never followed up. Now with the Budgets for Salisbury and Wicomico are being submitted this factual concerns should be checked and scrutinized. City and County vehicles of all sizes are back to cruising the College and all three Student Housing areas from around 2:00 pm until they have to get back to clock out. There are from 1 - 6 employees in the vehicles. The Latest was a six - wheel bucket truck. I believe the Tag was LG61460. He was cruising through 2 Student Housing areas talking on his cell and looking everywhere but where he was going.
When the Farmer's crops at the end of Onley Rd are ripe they even stop and go over in the field pick what they want and return to their Government Vehicle. Then leave.
The Fire personnel has not been visible since the new Chief. He must have cut out all the so - called training. Fire trucks and EMS.
Concerning the Budgets. Since there is all this spare time of 1 -2.5 hrs a day, means excessive personnel. That means eliminate 5 workers by attrition. That would save with salary and benefits approx. $250,000 a year. The Supervisor must not know time needed to complete a job and does not follow - up on the work conducted. Then eliminate a Supervisor in the same manner, which would save another $60,000 - $75,000 a year. There is a savings of at least $300,000 from the budget.
This would also mean less time to ride around being non - productive. Savings on fuel and vehicle wear and tear by not having them ride around and not working. This is another budgetary savings.
Eliminate half of the City and County take home vehicles, Excluding County Sheriffs. That would also lower fuel cost, wear and tear and replacement cost. Another budgetary savings.
Eliminate monies to PAC14 since they are very selective on their broadcasting and not available to all areas, all Tax Payers. Eliminate monies to Salisbury Symphony, only about .2%, less than 1%, of the Tax Payers attend or can afford to attend. There are other examples not listed of non - profits that are beneficial to less than 1% of Tax Payers. They should raise their own monies. That is what they are supposed to do. Not mooch off the Tax Payers.
I have only listed a few areas of reducing the budget. What I have listed would reduce the Budgets of each Locality by approx $1,000,000, 1 million dollars.
Lets make news and start criticizing Politians on their dereliction of Office they were elected too. They are supposed to make the hard decisions and not take the easy way out and TAX TAX TAX.
I am a very concerned Tax Payer who does not believe in all this wasteful spending.
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
14 comments:
I have a few ways to save on the county budget.
(1) Do away with the Sheriffs Dept. or return them to what they did prior to Nelms. The State Police manpower allotments are tied to the calls for service and the local barrack would receive additional manpower.
(2) If that is too hard for some to accept how about taking deputies out of the schools and replacing them with retired police officers. This would save money by not having to pay them as much money, pay them what bailiffs make approx $16, hr, no cars needed as they would drive their own, no vacation,no sick days pay,and no retirement benefits as they would be contractural.
(3) Parks and rec could be done away with or greatly curtailed. why do we need a director of parks and rec when if you want to keep them you could just have county employees maintain the fields and an already employeed county supervisor.
These are just a few things to look at. They may or may not be viable, but it is a point to start a conversation. Our budget is in the crapper and there is no relief in sight.
Let the bashing of this idea begin.
I like your idea about using former officers as more eyes and ears on the street. As far as doing away with the Sheriff's dept. I'm not so sure.
However, I am a very observant person and lately I don't see as many Sheriff's department vehicles within city limits as I had months ago. I know this because I always look to see who's driving and wave.
What's up with that? I pay county taxes too.
No Bashing here! You are correct! Start running this county like a business and make the hard decisions.It is time for the good ole boys to take a hike. We can no longer afford to let them run this county into ruins! We can no longer keep paying for their inability to run things properly.
Same goes for the City of Salisbury! What a laughing stock!
Until you work for the City/County Gov't you just don't get it. Everyone thinks that these people do nothing and goof off all day. I can tell you as a former local gov't employee, the City Gov't cannot operate on less employees. This does not mean there are not employees that need to go - there are many that skate by doing the least amount of work possible breaking many rules. The supervisors need to be trained better to use the procedures in place to get rid of the problem employees and replace them with people that want to work!
Everyone wants the services the City provides but doesn't want to pay for them. If your sewer backs up in the middle of the night do you want to wait several hours because there is nobody to respond to your call? No - you want someone to come ASAP, so we need the employees, we just need to discipline the employees that take advantage of the job.
Maybe a little praise for the City workers would be nice too. They are tired of hearing no raise, no reclass, more insurance cost, more retirement cost, increased workload, etc. If they thought the community supported them and the jobs they do for each of you their pride and moral would increase. Instead, all they hear is NO or how worthless everyone thinks the gov't is. It isn't the employee making the stupid decision to spend the taxpayer money on piddly projects that could be done without, that is your local leadership. Stop blaming the little guy - he is just trying to do his job. Support the workers, they deserve it!
Author, you've got way to much time on your hands. Get a hobby or get a life.
I agree with the part about taking the deputies out of the schools. Retired officers could do the job at a substantial savings and as a bonus either reduce the size of the Sheriffs dept or put more officers on the street. I do not know how many officers are assigned to the schools, but with the cost of cars, retirement plans, health care costs as well as sick leave costs i woul guess the savings would be substantial. In economic times like these we have to look at ways to save where possible.
Sorry 2:51, but retired officers cannot do the job of School Resource Officers. They are not in the physical condition to handle middle schoolers and high schoolers. Don't forget, when there is a fight in school, the SRO is in the middle of it, breaking it up. This is not the job for a 60+ year old person. SROs are not Walmart greeters.
3:10
Thank you for your opinion deputy. I didnt realize that they had actually given you guys a title. I guess if I were pulling in $50,000. plus a year and a car and retirement and health care I wouldnt want to give up that cushy job either . Quite good pay for babysitting. Unfortunately with the budget such as it is we have to look at ways to save where possible and it is something that should be considered.
If the writer of this post was so concerned with what he/she sees as wasting time, and even got a tag number, why not make a phone call to report the driver? I don't believe half the stereotyping I read. Your idea on cutting take home vehicles will really amount to nothing. For starters there aren't that many and the ones that should conceivably have one because the are on call don't. Some departments have already lost or are about to lose large amounts of their workforce. As for the supervisor thing, there arent that many in most county departments, except the BOE where they have assistant this and assistant to the assistant that. While I think it is admirable to try to find ways to save, what it is boiling down to is what are you okay to no longer have. You did mention parks and rec, but then said a county employee could still maintain the fields. Who would that be, and from what already stretched thin department? As it is, you are likely to see tall grass along the roads this year.
12:29
I never said that most of all city or county employees do not do a great job. I have gotten to know some over the years.
However, everything you stated, furloughs, cut's, increases in insurance, more work load, has all been past on to we in the private sector also.
Be best for you to keep the job you have for the city or county, you'll not find any better in the private sector.
Look at benefits. Why do we pay for dependents health insurance when they retire. I am ok with retired employee but no way should taxpayers be picking up the tab for their dependents. No other county gives this benefit other than Worcester.
7:12, you have posted that on here before. Who the heck has dependants when they retire. What, did they finally decide to have kids when they were 50? 4:44, private sector may not have it better now, but they always have before. Now, we in public sector are reaping the benefit of sticking it out with low paying jobs and having to listen to loud mouths like you that constantly bash us. Now we have jobs because of our sacrifice and evidentally you don't. tough crap. I will continue to do my job, and pick up my paycheck, which I help pay, and you can sit at home on your lazy but and collect your 99 weeks. There were plenty of applications years ago to be filled out, but the grass was greener on the private side. (or was it) I will continue to make my $12 after 15 years and listen to you cry, but I have learned to ignore you. As long as my checks say pay to the order of, with my name, when you speak all I hear is blah, blah, blah. So go ahead and stereotype about things of which you have no clue. blah blah blah.
well said 9:11!!
"The Fire personnel has not been visible since the new Chief. He must have cut out all the so - called training. Fire trucks and EMS"
Have you lost your F'n mind? That clown is in line for spending and wasting more money than Gordy and Hoppes put together. This guy is not credentialed and is not a leader.
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