City government department heads, we're sure, are experiencing a number of the same challenges people in the private sector are facing in their workplaces. The expectations placed on them continue to increase, while the resources they have to work with don't necessarily keep pace.
In the City of Monroe, our observations are that department heads do good work, care about their jobs and respect the responsibilities they have to the tax-paying public.
So, we don't begrudge department heads the 2 percent raises they are likely to receive during the 2010 fiscal year. The raises were recommended by Mayor Ron Marsh, and thus far have been left in the proposed budget by the city's Finance and Taxation Committee. A 2 percent pay increase certainly isn't exorbitant, but it likely is more than many of the people who live and work in Monroe are receiving these days.
Unfortunately, job cuts, wage freezes and unpaid days off now are realities for many workers in Monroe and elsewhere. It's a trend of the economic recession that's affected government employees nationwide, as well as private-sector workers. Just ask a state government employee in Wisconsin.
But despite all of the talk of a tight budget and tough decisions for Monroe city government, the fiscal picture obviously hasn't gotten bad enough that job losses and pay cuts have become part of the discussion. That's a good thing, obviously. Who wants to see their friends and neighbors suffer financial hardships?
Still, there isn't an abundance of money flowing into Monroe City Hall. Infrastructure projects have been delayed, economic development expenditures cut and some city services reduced or eliminated during the past couple of years. Every dollar spent by the city is important.
Which is why the city is missing an opportunity to save a few dollars (about $25,000) by giving 2 percent raises to department heads rather than holding the line on their salaries for the next 12 months. More importantly, it's missing a symbolic chance to show that city employees are making the same kinds of sacrifices others are.
In the City of Monroe, our observations are that department heads do good work, care about their jobs and respect the responsibilities they have to the tax-paying public.
So, we don't begrudge department heads the 2 percent raises they are likely to receive during the 2010 fiscal year. The raises were recommended by Mayor Ron Marsh, and thus far have been left in the proposed budget by the city's Finance and Taxation Committee. A 2 percent pay increase certainly isn't exorbitant, but it likely is more than many of the people who live and work in Monroe are receiving these days.
Unfortunately, job cuts, wage freezes and unpaid days off now are realities for many workers in Monroe and elsewhere. It's a trend of the economic recession that's affected government employees nationwide, as well as private-sector workers. Just ask a state government employee in Wisconsin.
But despite all of the talk of a tight budget and tough decisions for Monroe city government, the fiscal picture obviously hasn't gotten bad enough that job losses and pay cuts have become part of the discussion. That's a good thing, obviously. Who wants to see their friends and neighbors suffer financial hardships?
Still, there isn't an abundance of money flowing into Monroe City Hall. Infrastructure projects have been delayed, economic development expenditures cut and some city services reduced or eliminated during the past couple of years. Every dollar spent by the city is important.
Which is why the city is missing an opportunity to save a few dollars (about $25,000) by giving 2 percent raises to department heads rather than holding the line on their salaries for the next 12 months. More importantly, it's missing a symbolic chance to show that city employees are making the same kinds of sacrifices others are.
