I have been reviewing the
proposed 2018-2019 Municipal budget, which currently has a $1,900,000.00 increase over last year’s budget. I am going to show some outstanding
differences.
Let’s start with the biggest irresponsible
act of all. It is a pay increase for all
employees disguised as Cost-of-Living-Allowance (COLA). All town employees, regardless of their
position, have been receiving this for the past eight-ten years. This year is no exception. COLA was created by the Federal government to
off-set inflation but is used to ensure ALL employees receive a wage increase
EVERY year regardless of the economy.
DEPT HEAD 2018 Salary 2019 Proposed Difference
Town Manager $95,047.00 $96,482.00 $1,435.00
Assessing Director
58,565.00 59,452.00 887.00
Code Enforcement 73,090.00 77,777.00 4,687.00
Finance Director 75,394.00 77,228.00 1,834.00
Town Clerk Director
54,217.00 56,560.00 2,343.00
Chief of Police 76,130.00
77,270.00 1,140.00
Fire Chief 69,797.00 75,005.00 5,208.00
EMS Director 1,523.00 1,546.00 23.00
Public Works Director
42,246.00 75,005.00
32,759.00
Solid Waste Director 21,123.00
0.00 -21,123.00
Recreation Director
61,014.00 61,922.00 908.00
Library Director 51,788.00 54,089.00 2,301.00
General Assistance Dir 10,353.00
10,508.00 155.00
Economic Director
53,878.00 57,276.00 3,398.00
Treatment Plant Dir 21,123.00 82,717.00 61,594.00
TOTAL $97,549.00
Ryan Leighton
Public Works Director $42,246.00
Solid Waste Director 21,123.00
Treatment Plant Director 21,123.00
TOTAL $84,492.00 in 2018
(Not bad for an individual
with no qualification for any position)
Now, I dare anyone to show me an equal means to
justify the difference in salaries. These salaries were determined by the Town
Manager, Diane Barnes and I cannot understand how they were determined, maybe
by favoritism.
The total increase, for just
the Department Heads, is $97,549.00 by my calculator. I believe that there are approximately 100
town employees and this is just 15 employees.
So what is this COLA increase going to total for the other 85 employees?
I can never remember getting a $1,400.00
dollars pay increase every year and I worked for forty years. Can any of you citizens remember when you
did? This is not only wrong but totally
irresponsible on the part of the Town Manager and the Town Council as a
whole. We, the people, hired or elected these individuals to represent our
best interest and as far as I am concerned they failed measurable.
I will be reporting on
numerous other problems with this proposed budget but I know that it will not
make a difference to either the Town Manager or the Town Council.
I hope, the people, remember these discrepancies in November.
Larry Fillmore