If you were to create the salary schedule for public entities — be it city-county-state level — what would you pay people in salary and benefits and why?
Home » Question of the Week » If you were to create the salary schedule for public entities — be it city-county-state level — what would you pay people in salary and benefits and why?
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PLEASE don’t respond to this question. It is designed only to inflame an already divisive issue. We should use our collective power to change the things that we can change for the better, not ridicule and point fingers and look for scapegoats.
Real simple. Pay ’em what the same job pays in private industry including benes and retirement, with a small reduction for job security. Too simple, eh?
Educate, You should get a new name or take it to heart. How dare you presume to know why the question is there. To correct you: the question is asked because so many people are critical of public employee salaries and pensions, but seldom offer a solution. This is an attempt to generate ideas. After all, this is taxpayer money. I don’t understand your fear of ideas.
Kathryn Reed, LTN publisher
Recently read a positive suggestion that the average local wage be used to calculate the wage of city employees and administrators. Something along 125% for workers and no more than 180% for the city manager.
Yes, police and fire could make more elsewhere, but shouldn’t their ranks stem from local residents? And its seems that the career path for City managers always turns out to bring in someone from the outside at an inflated rate of pay. Wouldn’t it be more beneficial for local residents to have a City manager who is in the position because they actually have a stake and an interest in the City they manage?
Dan the average local wage includes people without college degrees and seasonal workers. I dont know if its the majority but somewhere around half of government workers have degrees if not advanced degrees. That matters. Experience also matters. Then add on workers with licenses such as CPA’s and the wage properly ratchets up again. Its not as simple as using an average wage, and it shouldn’t be.
Same as private sector in all aspects.
5 x min. wage plus 2.5 X for extras.
Hey Lou, That’s approx. $75/hr. total compensation is it not? I could probably squeeze by on that if I cut off the 700 Club and Club for Growth.
No 7.5 X 7.5 is 56.25 an hour. now they avg. 3 to 4 X in extras. just an avg. no more.
The min. wage is a starting point, thats all.
OK Lou, I see what you’re saying now. Only 56.25/hr.!!, boy howdy now that Really hurts the old bottom line… that means I’ll have to cut off FreedomWorks and the Dick Armey.
I wish I was getting private sector wage. Even if you add the benefits in; I would be earning 40% more money compared to the prevailing wage that the city pays.
Most locals do not have a college degree; possess the experience or training for most of the skilled positions. The professionals I know wouldn’t even consider relocating to Lake Tahoe for a cut in pay to work for the city and deal with all of the crybabies that complain and b***h about city employees. Most of the time the complainers are the jealous ones that love to create conflict.
The answer is yes; I would love to leave this God forsaken place but my house is worthless and I am stuck here for the time being. So I still choose to work for the City because it is one of the few high paying jobs in town. I worked very hard and am very proud to a be city employee.
With the advent of the internet I would create a transparent website for applicants to submit their resumes(names hidden) and have them also place their salary and benefit request at the same time. Anyone could review resumes, add notes, ask questions and I bet we’d locate the best applicants at the best rate for our city. O’Rourke if you’re here – I bet it would work. However keep in mind there could be a candidate out there for City Mgr who would accept a much lower salary just to live in the Sierra’s.
Talk about a Political Hot Potato.
There is no single type of employee so there is no appropriate single wage scale. Add to this that many positions have no comparable counter-part in the public sector and the whole idea of a single wage scale becomes pointless.
Why not start where most agree the problem lies… Retirement plans that allow people to retire at a relative young age (under 62) with payouts larger than 2% of ones salary are not sustainable (yes, I include management, police in fire in this statement too).
As for health benefits this is a larger problem with an under regulated industry that has been given carte blanche to rob us all blind. Until there is real Health Care reform and this industry is taken to task for pocketing our money with little return in actual service we will all continue to pay to much for to little in return.
My Two Cents!
-Local Yokle