Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, July 6, 1995 TAG: 9507060063
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SARAH HUNTLEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The complaints about Hodge's raise stem from an April 14 meeting, when Hodge met with about 60 members of the Police Department to discuss disparities in pay and the possibility of a lawsuit against the county.
At the meeting, Hodge sympathized with the officers' plight and told them, if it would help, he would not take a raise this year. His salary increase could go instead to helping fix salary inequities, Hodge said.
As of July 1, however, Hodge is earning $4,413.76 more than he did last year. With the raise, Hodge will receive an annual salary of $105,748.86.
The news fanned the indignation of police officers who have long maintained that the process of determining pay and addressing their complaints has been political.
``If you tell me you are going to do something, then do it,'' Officer Frank Walkiewicz said.
Hodge, who acknowledged he made the statement in April, denied having misled the officers, saying he made the same offer to the supervisors.
``They insisted on [average raises of] 4.8 percent from top to bottom,'' Hodge said. ``The board's position was, hey look, we've worked out the pay issues in the Police Department. At that point we were looking for every dime we could get, but now we have a plan in place that addresses the inequities.''
Since Hodge's statement to police in April, the county has agreed to distribute $440,000 among 386 county employees who have experienced pay inequities. Department heads and key administrators did not come under the new plan.
The county hoped the plan will put to rest the issue of internal disparities, but some members of the Police Department still are unsatisfied. Several officers, especially those who are in supervisory positions, have charged that the county is shortchanging them in years of experience.
And Walkiewicz, who served on the county pay team responsible for devising the plan, said Hodge's explanation that the situation has changed isn't likely to go over well.
``We had to work within the amount that [Hodge] gave us to fix the problems. Our original plan came in over $440,000. We had to go back and scale back on some of the stuff, which, I think, is why some officers now feel like they are losing years,'' Walkiewicz said. ``Any amount of money would have meant less scaling back.''
Despite the outcry in the Police Department, Board of Supervisors Chairman Fuzzy Minnix on Wednesday stood behind the decision to give Hodge the raise, saying the supervisors had considered the issue of fairness.
``He asked us not to give him a raise, but the consensus was that he is a county employee, too,'' Minnix said. ``If we were going to give all county employees a 4.8 percent increase, we were going to give him one also.''
Minnix added that Hodge's position comes with many responsibilities and little job security.
``We didn't want to give the impression that we were not satisfied with his performance,'' he said.
Despite the increase, Hodge still trails Roanoke City Manager Bob Herbert, who received a 7.8 percent increase this year, bringing his salary to $110,000.
by CNB