Unbelievable.
That's all we can say after the Monroe Common Council's mind-blowing decision last week to increase department heads' salaries, up as much as $20,000 in one fell swoop.
Consider this: The recreation director's salary will increase almost 41 percent, from $49,700 to $69,900. The parks department supervisor will increase from $51,800 to $69,900, an increase of 35 percent, while the senior center coordinator's compensation will go from $46,100 to $59,100, an increase of 28 percent, and the water department supervisor's pay will increase from $55,800 to $69,400, an increase of 24 percent.
The council approved the new wage scale in an effort to update the city's 1997 pay schedule. While wages have been increased throughout the ensuing years, Monroe's wages for department heads lags $2,000 to $24,000 behind other communities in the region, according to market research presented a year ago by city administrator Phil Rath. The new pay table is intended to bring department heads' salaries in line with "current market values."
Comparing market values requires an evaluation of numerous factors and frankly, we're hard pressed to believe that most of these wages are really that out of line with the job market in Monroe or other truly comparable communities.
Yes, we understand the need to offer competitive wages to attract and retrain qualified individuals and that as department heads, these individuals must sometimes respond to emergencies and work beyond the typical eight-hour workday. (That's what management positions are about, after all.) And we also understand that department heads have gone without salary increases for the past few years and that some of these positions, namely the police and fire chiefs and water director, require specialized training and education to perform effectively. (For the record, the fire chief's salary is the smallest increase at $800, or 1 percent, but his pay was increased by $8,000 last year when he assumed part of the duties of emergency management director.)
We understand the rationale - we're simply not buying that the staggering increases of $13,000 to $20,000 in a single year is justifiable. In light of those raises, the 15 to 25 cents per hour granted to part-time and non-salary personnel employees - or $260 per year for someone working 20 hours per week - was pretty much a slap in the face to those workers.
If council members truly felt wages for duties performed were out of line for current market conditions in Monroe, they should have instead looked at a plan to gradually increase wages over a period of several years.
Instead, Monroe taxpayers were handed a bunch of baloney that's hard to swallow. They would be wise to remember this the next time they hear election-year promises of fiscal responsibility.
That's all we can say after the Monroe Common Council's mind-blowing decision last week to increase department heads' salaries, up as much as $20,000 in one fell swoop.
Consider this: The recreation director's salary will increase almost 41 percent, from $49,700 to $69,900. The parks department supervisor will increase from $51,800 to $69,900, an increase of 35 percent, while the senior center coordinator's compensation will go from $46,100 to $59,100, an increase of 28 percent, and the water department supervisor's pay will increase from $55,800 to $69,400, an increase of 24 percent.
The council approved the new wage scale in an effort to update the city's 1997 pay schedule. While wages have been increased throughout the ensuing years, Monroe's wages for department heads lags $2,000 to $24,000 behind other communities in the region, according to market research presented a year ago by city administrator Phil Rath. The new pay table is intended to bring department heads' salaries in line with "current market values."
Comparing market values requires an evaluation of numerous factors and frankly, we're hard pressed to believe that most of these wages are really that out of line with the job market in Monroe or other truly comparable communities.
Yes, we understand the need to offer competitive wages to attract and retrain qualified individuals and that as department heads, these individuals must sometimes respond to emergencies and work beyond the typical eight-hour workday. (That's what management positions are about, after all.) And we also understand that department heads have gone without salary increases for the past few years and that some of these positions, namely the police and fire chiefs and water director, require specialized training and education to perform effectively. (For the record, the fire chief's salary is the smallest increase at $800, or 1 percent, but his pay was increased by $8,000 last year when he assumed part of the duties of emergency management director.)
We understand the rationale - we're simply not buying that the staggering increases of $13,000 to $20,000 in a single year is justifiable. In light of those raises, the 15 to 25 cents per hour granted to part-time and non-salary personnel employees - or $260 per year for someone working 20 hours per week - was pretty much a slap in the face to those workers.
If council members truly felt wages for duties performed were out of line for current market conditions in Monroe, they should have instead looked at a plan to gradually increase wages over a period of several years.
Instead, Monroe taxpayers were handed a bunch of baloney that's hard to swallow. They would be wise to remember this the next time they hear election-year promises of fiscal responsibility.
