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Fred Sennet is Right on.......

Printed From: MiddletownUSA.com
Category: Middletown City Government
Forum Name: City Council
Forum Description: Discuss individual members and council as a legislative body.
URL: http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=727
Printed Date: Nov 22 2024 at 2:24am


Topic: Fred Sennet is Right on.......
Posted By: Pacman
Subject: Fred Sennet is Right on.......
Date Posted: Nov 29 2008 at 10:02am
A word to the wise
 By: Fred Sennet
 

City employees may have to forego raises for awhile

Middletown City firemen apparently haven't gotten the message. We are heading to a deep recession which some economists say mirrors the way the Great Depression began. While many of us haven’t felt the full impact yet, reports are that many municipalities are soon or already feeling the pain.
City Treasurer Russell Carolus recently reported that income taxes will take a major hit and that, of course, means that the city’s General Fund will have a shortfall. It looks like belt tightening will be in order. The recent contract with the firemen provides them with a 10 percent salary increase over the three years of the new contract, with 1 percent coming retroactively. There also will be changes in squad and apparatus pay, certification pay, clothing/uniform allowance and step-up pay eligibility (no estimate of cost of those items was included in The Journal’s report on the increases.)
Councilman Bill Becker, former police chief and city manager as well as onetime police union president, said it was tough to approve the contract when he’s seeing neighbors losing their jobs or their houses. “The system is broken and cities like us are going to hit the wall (financially),” he said.
The police budget will be $11.37 million while the fire budget will be $9.1 million, with part of the funding coming through the public safety levy voters approved in November 2007. Budgets for the two departments, according to Carolus, will be 70 percent of the total city budget.
No doubt there will be little left for running the city and likely there won’t be any increases for other city employees.
After hearing reports from the fire and police chiefs, Becker said changes need to be made in the way their departments are funding. “My challenge to both chiefs is to find other ways to do business,” he said. Becker also said that it is doubtful if voters will be able to afford another safety levy in the foreseeable future.
It’s my belief that both the firemen and policemen—who deserve the best we can provide—could curry favor with the taxpayers who pay their salaries by turning down any increases for 2009 with the caveat that if the economy improves and we have a short recession that pay increases be negotiated at a later date.
And if I were still serving on City Council, I would suggest to my fellow Council members that they show leadership by not accepting a salary during 2009 or until the economy recovers if the firemen and policemen agree to forgo their pay raises.
By the time 2009 rolls around, the cost of gas, food, clothing and other items likely will be down to match the salaries of those who still have a job or own a business in the community.
We certainly need and appreciate fire and police protection but we also have to recognize that in a time of crisis we all need to make sacrifices.



Replies:
Posted By: John Beagle
Date Posted: Nov 29 2008 at 4:28pm
I agree, Fred has the right 'take' on this issue.


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News of, for and by the people of Middletown, Ohio.

Posted By: tomahawk35
Date Posted: Nov 29 2008 at 11:12pm
These are the exact things that has been brought up for discussion for a long time on the other forum board yet we were only depicted as whiners or trouble makers. Go figure

Posted By: spiderjohn
Date Posted: Nov 30 2008 at 6:44am
amen tomahawk
all talk
 
Mr.Sennet served his terms and did none of the things mentioned, though these same issues were under the surface back then.
 
Mr.Sennet REALLY wants to be part of the process again.
 
He is a good sensible guy.
I'm glad he is around.
 
Saying it and making it happen are two different things.
This large beast is out of control and devouring everything the working family  can give.
How DO we bring it in line with the rest of the situations?

Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: Nov 30 2008 at 7:53am
Tomahawk you are exactly right about the other Board I am probably the loudest proponent of cuts in raises and for Employees paying more of their Health Care Premium over there, yet oh what a bad boy I am to suggest such things.  The people over there would rather bankrupt the city than do what is needed to survive Thourgh these tough times.  390+ employees, especially the Unionized ones, are basically putting this city under and Council and many of its Citizens and City Management doesn't want to hear it or do anything about it.
 
There is no excuse once again for City employees to only be paying 7.5% of their health Care premium when the National average is far higher and closer to 25%.  Federal employees pay 25% of their health Care Premiums.  If the City paid only and additional $25.00 a week as I suggested on the MJ site that would save about $500k a year and they would still be well below the 25% average.
 
Sooner or later, and I fear it will be later and it will be forced by the city in the form of Police and Fire Dept layoffs because neither Dept seems willing to see the writing on the wall.  If Public Safety wants to play hard ball as they do every time their contract comes up so be it, go to Conciliation and before Conciliation even starts get a list from each chief of personnel that they want laid-off to compensate for the raises forced on a city that can't afford them.  The same goes for the Health care committee, either do away with this committee, personally I have never heard of giving your employees  the power to determine their own health care benefits and cost, either the employees pay more of their health care or layoffs will be forthcoming and then follow through with it.
 
This whole system of raises and benefits is antiquated and detrimental to Cities like Middletown. 
 
Of course Council just goes along with both new contracts and the only vocal one is Mr. Becker who sees the handwriting on the wall, this is unfortunate for the City as a whole. 
 
I fail to see why Council and City Admin can not understand both the Section 8 issue and the compensation of employees is currently detrimental to the City as a whole.  Each issue deals with a small group of people and yet 50000+ others must suffer for the decision that Council makes.  In the case of Section 8 no one would be hurt by giving the Vouchers to Butler and Warren County.  In the case of raises and benefits it is a matter of survival for a City of 50,000+ citizens yet the issues are ignored and not discussed.

Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: Nov 30 2008 at 10:25am
Becker said "it was tough approving the contract when he sees his neighbors losing their jobs and homes".- Perhaps a start to fixing the problem, after Becker's acknowledgement, would not to have offered an approving vote on those same contracts. Aiding an obviously bad situation by voting for it will never attack the problem and only prolongs the solution doesn't it? I don't understand how a person can know the correct thing to do, then turn around and vote to keep the status quo. By helping to approve this, he is still part of the problem. As for Sennett- His time in the sun was in the 80's and he had several runs to make his statements. His letter sounds great and makes sense, yet, his letter reveals a side to him that we didn't see while he was in office. As I remember, he cided with the majority crowd back then and is another in the long list of characters that have contributed to the town's demise.

Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: Nov 30 2008 at 11:22am
Vet, I agree with you 100% I would have voted "NO" if I was Becker even knowing I would have lost.  Another prime example of this type of voting is Marconi.  He ranted and raved against the Red Light Cameras for 10-20 minutes about how they were bad for the city and just a revenue generator, etc.  Then he puts the Motion forward and votes "YES" to approve the new contract.  What is there some unwritten law that all of Council must vote the same way on an item.  I would have voted "NO" on this issue also.  I really don't get the "everyone vote yes deal", someone explain it please.Question
 
As for Fred Sennet, what he did or didn't do in the past doesn't make his editorial any less true and accurate for todays situation.  The problem is todays Council and their in action on issues to improve the City or even to keep the City viable.


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