Post by The Big Dog on Jul 5, 2008 18:03:32 GMT -5
From the PeeDee....
CITY PAYROLL UP 36% 2005-08
By PAUL PAYNE
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Published: Saturday, July 5, 2008 at 4:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, July 5, 2008 at 4:58 a.m.
Tough economic times have spurred job losses in the private sector and cuts to public services, yet the Petaluma city payroll continues to surge.
In three years, the amount the city commits to salaries will have jumped 36 percent, from $22.5 million in 2005 to $30.5 million in the coming fiscal year, an analysis of city financial records shows.
In that time, the total number of employees will have grown 13 percent, from the equivalent of 319 full-time positions to 362 positions, the analysis shows.
The escalating cost of employees -- which does not include benefits or overtime -- comes as the city is slashing funding for such things as parks and public works.
Critics charge that the city's priorities have shifted from serving the public to serving public employees.
"It reflects poor judgment in both the past administration and on the City Council," said Bryant Moynihan, a former councilman and leader of a water and sewer rate rollback initiative on the November ballot. "They just don't seem to be able to say 'no.' "
Mayor Pam Torliatt defended the rising salaries, saying they are needed to lure qualified employees such as police officers. She said staffing levels have increased by appropriate amounts to achieve the goals of a growing city.
<< snipped >>
A survey of some other agencies shows a pattern of lower salaries and of payroll costs growing at smaller rates over the same period.
Spending for budgeted positions in the city of Santa Rosa increased 23 percent to $102.2 million and the number of employees grew by 6.2 percent to about 1,380.
The county government saw a 14.2 percent increase in salaries, which totaled $297.5 million, and a 2.8 percent rise in the number of employees, to 4,230.
None of these figures include retirement or other benefits, which add up to 40 percent to overall personnel costs. The total number of employees includes some unfilled positions.
Petaluma's police and fire departments were grossly underpaid for many, many years. The drastic raises they've won have only recently brought them onto a par with other agencies in the immediate area.
Having said that, Mayor Torliatt hasn't led anything other than a parade or two. She has been on the council, as member and mayor, for close to ten years now. She is as much to blame as the rest of the council is. Outside of police and fire, city headcount spiralled up drastically over the past decade, particularly in the administrative area. The council needs to look across all levels and departments and start making the city staff correct sized for it's mission. You'll note that even with this rather dire report, they are saying they need to add headcount. By the way, that police captain position in the linked article would be a third... they already have two captains now.
While I agree that wages need to be commensurate with responsibility, the argument that wages need to be competetive with the private sector to attract candidates is absolute baloney. The benefits of public employment in California, and the iron clad job proteciton more than make up for giving up a few dollars in gross salary. And given that government is not a "profit center" in a business sense, but rather a pure "cost center" which produces no revenue in return for expenditure, it makes complete sense to keep the costs, and the headcount, as lean as possible. A business reliant on P & L would approach it exactly that way, but government which only inhabits the L side of the report and which can be funded by a so far endless stream of taxpayer dollars, has no incentive to run leaner and more efficiently. In fact, the way that bureaucrats and politicians accrete power to themselves is with taxpayer dollars; the more you control, the more power you have.
Scary, huh?
The State of California, as example, is in deep financial trouble. We recalled a Governor, in part, because his administration put 36,000 new headcount on the payroll in it's first four years despite a down economy and massive overspending leading to revenue shortfalls. The current administration, for all of it's talk of fiscal control, has put another 30,000 plus new state employees on the payroll.
The City of Petaluma, like many cities around California, needs to come to the understanding that there is a finite limit to the burden that the taxpayers can bear and still have a functioning economy. Big government loving professional politicians, such as Mayor Torliatt, need to understand that the bills for their generosity in employment and programs are going to come due and they best pray that they have the money to pay for them. If they don't, insolvency is a stroke of the pen away.
And it won't be far behind for the other cities and the county government at this rate.
CITY PAYROLL UP 36% 2005-08
By PAUL PAYNE
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Published: Saturday, July 5, 2008 at 4:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, July 5, 2008 at 4:58 a.m.
Tough economic times have spurred job losses in the private sector and cuts to public services, yet the Petaluma city payroll continues to surge.
In three years, the amount the city commits to salaries will have jumped 36 percent, from $22.5 million in 2005 to $30.5 million in the coming fiscal year, an analysis of city financial records shows.
In that time, the total number of employees will have grown 13 percent, from the equivalent of 319 full-time positions to 362 positions, the analysis shows.
The escalating cost of employees -- which does not include benefits or overtime -- comes as the city is slashing funding for such things as parks and public works.
Critics charge that the city's priorities have shifted from serving the public to serving public employees.
"It reflects poor judgment in both the past administration and on the City Council," said Bryant Moynihan, a former councilman and leader of a water and sewer rate rollback initiative on the November ballot. "They just don't seem to be able to say 'no.' "
Mayor Pam Torliatt defended the rising salaries, saying they are needed to lure qualified employees such as police officers. She said staffing levels have increased by appropriate amounts to achieve the goals of a growing city.
<< snipped >>
A survey of some other agencies shows a pattern of lower salaries and of payroll costs growing at smaller rates over the same period.
Spending for budgeted positions in the city of Santa Rosa increased 23 percent to $102.2 million and the number of employees grew by 6.2 percent to about 1,380.
The county government saw a 14.2 percent increase in salaries, which totaled $297.5 million, and a 2.8 percent rise in the number of employees, to 4,230.
None of these figures include retirement or other benefits, which add up to 40 percent to overall personnel costs. The total number of employees includes some unfilled positions.
Petaluma's police and fire departments were grossly underpaid for many, many years. The drastic raises they've won have only recently brought them onto a par with other agencies in the immediate area.
Having said that, Mayor Torliatt hasn't led anything other than a parade or two. She has been on the council, as member and mayor, for close to ten years now. She is as much to blame as the rest of the council is. Outside of police and fire, city headcount spiralled up drastically over the past decade, particularly in the administrative area. The council needs to look across all levels and departments and start making the city staff correct sized for it's mission. You'll note that even with this rather dire report, they are saying they need to add headcount. By the way, that police captain position in the linked article would be a third... they already have two captains now.
While I agree that wages need to be commensurate with responsibility, the argument that wages need to be competetive with the private sector to attract candidates is absolute baloney. The benefits of public employment in California, and the iron clad job proteciton more than make up for giving up a few dollars in gross salary. And given that government is not a "profit center" in a business sense, but rather a pure "cost center" which produces no revenue in return for expenditure, it makes complete sense to keep the costs, and the headcount, as lean as possible. A business reliant on P & L would approach it exactly that way, but government which only inhabits the L side of the report and which can be funded by a so far endless stream of taxpayer dollars, has no incentive to run leaner and more efficiently. In fact, the way that bureaucrats and politicians accrete power to themselves is with taxpayer dollars; the more you control, the more power you have.
Scary, huh?
The State of California, as example, is in deep financial trouble. We recalled a Governor, in part, because his administration put 36,000 new headcount on the payroll in it's first four years despite a down economy and massive overspending leading to revenue shortfalls. The current administration, for all of it's talk of fiscal control, has put another 30,000 plus new state employees on the payroll.
The City of Petaluma, like many cities around California, needs to come to the understanding that there is a finite limit to the burden that the taxpayers can bear and still have a functioning economy. Big government loving professional politicians, such as Mayor Torliatt, need to understand that the bills for their generosity in employment and programs are going to come due and they best pray that they have the money to pay for them. If they don't, insolvency is a stroke of the pen away.
And it won't be far behind for the other cities and the county government at this rate.
