THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 9, 1996 TAG: 9606070159
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: GUEST COLUMN
SOURCE: BY RICHARD R. HARRIS
LENGTH: 75 lines
When will you say NO? When will you get enough? How much longer will you continue to foot the bills carte blanche? One-third of each work day is already devoted to taxes.
Last year, the city manager convinced the majority of council to adopt the more liberal holiday schedule of the state. This adroit move by the manager got the monkey off hi back and dumped it in council's lap where he knew at least four members would vote yes. The new policy provides even more holidays to employees than the old one. Guess who is picking up the tab? Now Gov. George, ``The Gracious'' Allen has set aside July 5 as an additional state holiday as July 4 falls on a Thursday. It will be an ``additional'' holiday for city employees too. Guess who is picking up the tab?
Wait until Thanksgiving arrives. It is also on Thursday. Another Friday off? Guess who picks up the tab? Now Christmas should invite some discussion. It is on a Wednesday. Won't it be interesting to see how creative our governor and manager can be?
Years ago, when city and school employees were grossly under-paid, government tried to compensate with increased benefits. However, as pay gradually increased, there has been a reluctance on government's part to review the escalating costs to the taxpayer.
The private sector, out of necessity for survival and to remain competitive, downsized and made other cuts where necessary. Local government must do the same. The time has come to review the whole compensation package for city employees. Any changes could be made effective at the beginning of the fiscal year and would apply to new hires so as not to penalize existing employees.
Are you aware that a grade 13 employee with a base salary of $20,126, when benefits are added, has a total cost to the city of $27,931? How about a grade 44 employee with a base of $52,893? The total cost with benefits escalates to $69,791. Not bad when you consider that this same employee, after one year of service, can, with vacation time, holidays, and sick leave, get 35 days - a total of seven, five-day work weeks - off with pay?
Small business in the private sector can't afford these benefits. Do you pay all of your employee's retirement? Well, the city does and there is no provision to require any employee contribution! On top of that, when a employee leaves they get to take it all less any deductions.
The latest scoop out of your pocket be will the $10,000 pay raise for each council member, thereby raising the annual salary of a council member to $18,000 and to $20,000 for the mayor. According to an ordinance adopted in 1985, any pay increase granted by our benevolent General Assembly will be automatic, with no action required by council except for the funding. Want to guess who is picking up the tab? Shades of Congress. Vote yourself a pay raise in the middle of the night, who cares? No one else gets an automatic pay raise. Why should council? At the very least, a separate vote should be taken on this issue. Presently it is already included in the budget. Heck, $10,000 here, $10,000 there, and pretty soon you are talking serious money.
Eighteen-thousand dollars per year for ``serving'' on council is more than some of our citizens make working a 40-hour week and try to raise a family on. A grade 7 city employee has a base salary of $13,784. A minimum wage employee on a 40-hour week has a base of $8,840 before taxes! Are you aware that the per capita income of a Hampton Roads resident in 1993 was just over $18,000 and this was approximately 11 percent below the national average? A study done by the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission comparing per capita income growth of our area with 16 other cities in the Southeast from 1970 to 1993 showed we ranked 15th of 16.
In my opinion, an automatic pay raise based upon an ill-conceived ordinance by a previous council is an affront to the citizens of Suffolk. Why not tie council's pay to the minimum (expectations)? What is fair for the goose should be fair for the gander.
``Politics is a profession where the paths of glory lead but to the gravy.'' (Billy Boy Franklin). MEMO: Richard R. Harris is a member of Suffolk City Council. His term
expires June 30. ILLUSTRATION: Harris by CNB