The Journal Star reports that “The Civic Center Authority on Thursday approved an approximately $8 million 2010 fiscal year budget that calls for across-the-board 2 percent wage increases” (emphasis added).
So, let me see if I have this straight: The fire fighters won’t get a raise. And the library staff won’t get a raise. And exempt city staff won’t get raises. And the city is asking the police department to give up their raises. But the Civic Center, which didn’t even pass a balanced budget (“The budget’s approval includes a $115,000 operating budget deficit”) is going to give raises to their workers?
But wait — it gets better:
At-large City Councilman Ryan Spain informed authority members that governmental bargaining unions throughout the city are being asked to forgo pay raises next year in order to help deficit-laden organizations patch their budgets…. Commissioners requested the Civic Center’s management firm, SMG Corp., consult with the finance committee about reviewing the possibility [emphasis added] of freezing the wage increases. Commissioner Ken Goldin requested the review be taken after Spain made his comments.
“We are not saying the raises are not coming,” Goldin said. “We want to think about it and review them.”
A couple of things bother me about this. First of all, they don’t know about the city’s budget issues until Ryan Spain tells them? These guys are really on top of things. I wonder if they’ve heard yet that Michael Jackson is dead.
Secondly, they’re going to think about freezing wages? You know, back on August 11, the city council had a motion on the floor to renegotiate the city’s intergovernmental agreement with the Civic Center — that is, to redirect part of the HRA tax revenue from the Civic Center to the City’s general fund. Ryan Spain made a substitute motion “to engage Civic Center Authority in further discussion over the next four weeks” as the council’s liaison. My guess is, if Spain is unsuccessful in getting concessions from the Civic Center Authority through the softball approach, the original motion may make a reappearance at a future council meeting.
Also, as an aside:
“This is the only area I see a concern in the budget,” said Spain, the City Council’s liaison to the Civic Center Authority.
Really? The $115,000 operating budget deficit wasn’t an area of concern? You’d think after 27 years, there might be some concern over the fact that the Civic Center is still losing money.
Reset the magic number. The division is over.
Raises for Civic Center workers? What does the average worker at the CC make an hour? Isn’t just above minimum wage? The average police officer makes $40K while upper ranks make much more. Same with firefighters. So, 2% of $20k a year is nothing to call home about but may mean a great deal to those that clean the toilets and sweep the seats. On the other hand, the current raise the firefighters and police are due, one could buy a boat. I am not saying police and firefighters don’t deserve good pay and if their contract says raise, they should have it but isn’t comparing the workers raise at the CC and those of our professional police and fire departments like apples and oranges?
Sure the CC is a taxpayer drain but before I condone the whole bunch, I would like to know who exactly is getting 2% and 2% of what.
Well said, Emtronics.
Time to cancel the contract. With thousands of local, “temp jobs” gone, which paid even less than PCC jobs, it is time they get in step with the local economy. If they are not pulling in the concert and other events to make themselves solvent, pay cuts or job cuts are in order. Start at the top and go downward.
The Consumer Price Index is negative so far this year. It’s down 2.1% since this time last year. So keeping wages the same is, this year, essentially like getting a raise. Then, of course, there is the fact that unemployment in the Peoria area shot up to 12.3%.
So just freeze the salaries of the top-earners and the silly publicist-don’t take it out on the poorest of the poor!
silly publicist?