Originally posted in City Newspaper on April 19, 2011:
As families across our region struggle to pay their bills and feed their families, Republicans in Monroe County have given the highest-paid county employees hefty pay raises.
There are roughly 400 Management and Professionals employees in county government, of whom many are political appointees, department heads and middle management, who will benefit from this unseemly largesse. At the same time, we've seen low-level employees laid off or forced into early retirement, threatening their ability to survive in an unstable economy. In light of the current economic crisis, these taxpayer-funded pay hikes are simply unconscionable. To address this situation, we recently introduced legislation to freeze the pay of these employees at the 2010 levels - which would save county taxpayers approximately $400,000 this year alone.
Most of these employees received a 2.5 percent raise in 2011, in addition to the same increase in 2010. Over the past two years, it's very unlikely that most taxpayers have seen their pay increase by 5 percent. Worse still, some highly connected political appointees will receive significantly more than a 2.5 percent pay raise.
There is no good reason to keep these pay hikes in place when so many taxpayers are struggling to make ends meet. We are simply asking for these employees to minimally share in the sacrifices that so many people are making by maintaining their pay at 2010 salaries. While the county executive and Republican legislators say additional pay hikes are needed, we disagree, especially at a time when the county is cutting services and laying off other, non-political, employees.
During the 2011 budget debate, Democratic legislators offered an amendment to freeze these salaries at the 2010 level, but this measure was rejected by Republicans without debate. We have now offered stand-alone legislation to enact the freeze at the 2010 pay level, and we certainly hope our Republican colleagues will join us in supporting this measure. There is simply no justification for keeping these raises in place when families in our community are burdened by crippling property taxes, the threat of an uncertain future, and a looming budgetary crunch. Now is the time to act on this common-sense legislation.
-County Legislators Saul Maneiro (D-29th) and Josh Bauroth (D-24th)
There are roughly 400 Management and Professionals employees in county government, of whom many are political appointees, department heads and middle management, who will benefit from this unseemly largesse. At the same time, we've seen low-level employees laid off or forced into early retirement, threatening their ability to survive in an unstable economy. In light of the current economic crisis, these taxpayer-funded pay hikes are simply unconscionable. To address this situation, we recently introduced legislation to freeze the pay of these employees at the 2010 levels - which would save county taxpayers approximately $400,000 this year alone.
Most of these employees received a 2.5 percent raise in 2011, in addition to the same increase in 2010. Over the past two years, it's very unlikely that most taxpayers have seen their pay increase by 5 percent. Worse still, some highly connected political appointees will receive significantly more than a 2.5 percent pay raise.
There is no good reason to keep these pay hikes in place when so many taxpayers are struggling to make ends meet. We are simply asking for these employees to minimally share in the sacrifices that so many people are making by maintaining their pay at 2010 salaries. While the county executive and Republican legislators say additional pay hikes are needed, we disagree, especially at a time when the county is cutting services and laying off other, non-political, employees.
During the 2011 budget debate, Democratic legislators offered an amendment to freeze these salaries at the 2010 level, but this measure was rejected by Republicans without debate. We have now offered stand-alone legislation to enact the freeze at the 2010 pay level, and we certainly hope our Republican colleagues will join us in supporting this measure. There is simply no justification for keeping these raises in place when families in our community are burdened by crippling property taxes, the threat of an uncertain future, and a looming budgetary crunch. Now is the time to act on this common-sense legislation.
-County Legislators Saul Maneiro (D-29th) and Josh Bauroth (D-24th)
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