Are you getting a raise this year?
The answer for many of our readers, and millions of other workers across the nation, is a resounding no.
And for that reason, the Green County Board of Supervisors did itself no favors by granting a 1-percent pay increase for department heads and nonunion employees last week.
The board approved a hike similar to one granted unionized employees in their recent contract, say officials. "We took care of them (non-union county employees) at about the same rate," said Board Chairman Arthur Carter of the increase.
But is the board taking care of us, the taxpayers?
Our country - including our county - is still struggling to pull itself out from under the worst economic calamity since the Great Depression. There are hints of an economic turnaround, with tangible signs of improvement. Still, recovery is slow - in many cases, too slow. Many area residents are still unemployed, or underemployed. Others are still struggling to make ends meet, and far too many are still on the verge of losing their homes. For many who have been fortunate enough to have so far survived the Great Recession, unpaid furlough time, reduced hours and benefits, and zero pay increases have become the new norm.
Granted, the 1-percent raise is minimal and this group of employees didn't receive a pay increase for this year. But given the pay increase covers anywhere from 60 to 80 employees, according to Green County Clerk Mike Doyle, and the fact the 3-year contract will also likely include incremental wage increases each year, the actual dollars spent will add up quickly.
For his part, Carter maintains the wage hike won't be passed directly to taxpayers in future tax bills. The county has reserve funds to draw from to help pay for the raises. Additionally, the county expects to save money by switching health insurance providers: Green County recently went from being self-insured to purchasing employee health insurance from the state.
Yet those justifications are hard to swallow. If the county has reserve funds on hand, or if it does in fact see a savings in health insurance costs, why wasn't that money used to provide property tax relief? Instead, the board approved a 2.4 percent increase in the tax rate just two months ago.
The board was able to cut the actual tax levy some $38,000, or 2.6 percent, by using $1.8 million from the county sales tax to help drop the tax levy.
We would expect the board to use any and all methods available to help offset the tax rate as well - including rejecting these pay increases until there's clear signs the majority of taxpayers are on solid footing again.
The answer for many of our readers, and millions of other workers across the nation, is a resounding no.
And for that reason, the Green County Board of Supervisors did itself no favors by granting a 1-percent pay increase for department heads and nonunion employees last week.
The board approved a hike similar to one granted unionized employees in their recent contract, say officials. "We took care of them (non-union county employees) at about the same rate," said Board Chairman Arthur Carter of the increase.
But is the board taking care of us, the taxpayers?
Our country - including our county - is still struggling to pull itself out from under the worst economic calamity since the Great Depression. There are hints of an economic turnaround, with tangible signs of improvement. Still, recovery is slow - in many cases, too slow. Many area residents are still unemployed, or underemployed. Others are still struggling to make ends meet, and far too many are still on the verge of losing their homes. For many who have been fortunate enough to have so far survived the Great Recession, unpaid furlough time, reduced hours and benefits, and zero pay increases have become the new norm.
Granted, the 1-percent raise is minimal and this group of employees didn't receive a pay increase for this year. But given the pay increase covers anywhere from 60 to 80 employees, according to Green County Clerk Mike Doyle, and the fact the 3-year contract will also likely include incremental wage increases each year, the actual dollars spent will add up quickly.
For his part, Carter maintains the wage hike won't be passed directly to taxpayers in future tax bills. The county has reserve funds to draw from to help pay for the raises. Additionally, the county expects to save money by switching health insurance providers: Green County recently went from being self-insured to purchasing employee health insurance from the state.
Yet those justifications are hard to swallow. If the county has reserve funds on hand, or if it does in fact see a savings in health insurance costs, why wasn't that money used to provide property tax relief? Instead, the board approved a 2.4 percent increase in the tax rate just two months ago.
The board was able to cut the actual tax levy some $38,000, or 2.6 percent, by using $1.8 million from the county sales tax to help drop the tax levy.
We would expect the board to use any and all methods available to help offset the tax rate as well - including rejecting these pay increases until there's clear signs the majority of taxpayers are on solid footing again.
