Not that long ago, when proponents of the latest tax rededication looked for support, they were greeted with one question they could not answer: What about money for raises?
Actually, that’s not true. They did answer that question. There is still no money for raises. The most recent rededication has gone toward new police cars, new equipment and a true general reserve fund.
And it passed ... easily. People saw what it was going to be used for and said, “We need that. We will help pay for that.” In fact, they knew that none of this money would be able to go toward raises. Some raised questions. Some issued complaints. But most voted for the tax measure because the alternative would be frightening.
During the campaign for the rededication, however, there were rumblings and whispers. Turnover was great among Conway employees. Things had been promised that haven’t been followed through. If raises are not addressed soon, someone may sue. That’s what some people said.
Well, it has finally happened.
Two Conway city employees — one police officer and one firefighter — have filed a lawsuit against the city, not for the most recent rededication where they told the truth about not being able to give employee raises, but for a resolution 11 years ago that was supposed to be dedicated solely to providing compensation to police, firefighters, sanitation and all other city employees.
We are not lawyers, nor do we know whether this case has any merit. If we did, we’d probably be hanging out with Dan Abrams and making a lot more money.
But whatever happens with the case, one thing is clear. The Mayor and the City Council have to make proper compensation of its employees a top priority in the coming months. Conway’s residents deserve the best when it comes to police, fire and other services, but it is hard to persuade quality applicants when they find out that raises have not been issued for years.
Deal with the lawsuit. Fix the problem. Pay the employees. It’s the right thing to do, and it is years overdue.
It shouldn’t take a lawsuit to bring this issue to light.
Comments (31)
Add commentPertinent informantion
While I agree 100% with the overall point of this editorial that the city employees do deserve the raises that were promised to them, I disagree with some of the individual points that have been brought up. It states that the city leaders specifically said that the most current tax rededication was not for salaries/raises. This is not entirely true. While the official language of the rededication states that the funds were to issue bonds for equipment and a general fund reserve account, unofficially the elected city leaders were telling people something completely different at every turn in the rededication campaign. On January 26, 2012, there was a meeting about the most current rededication. Salaries were the primary discussion at that meeting. http://thecabin.net/news/local/2012-01-26/police-fire-salaries-take-cent... Both Mayor Townsell and Alderman Hawkins made very specific comments that led people to believe that if the 2012 rededication passed then the salary issue could be addressed. Prior to the election on the TV show Common Ground, Mayor Townsell discussed employee salaries, specifically police/firefighter salaries, and the importance of addressing those needs. He specifically pointed out the fact that Little Rock had just passed a sales tax increase and that they were going to hire around 50 new police officers and 28 new firefighters. Again, while the four parts of the rededication did not mention salaries/raises, the stump speeches given to drum up support were more than happy to make salaries a focal point. If you go out and ask the average citizen about the 2012 tax rededication, they think that salaries were part of the issue that was to be addressed. Several people I know voted for it specifically to help the employees get their “step raises”. One important fact that everyone seems to be overlooking in all of this is the fact that the city is collecting more than $1.8 million more annually in sales tax money than it did in FY 08’. http://www.dfa.arkansas.gov/offices/exciseTax/salesanduse/Pages/TaxColle... With more than 75% of that money going to the general fund, I am left with one important question. WHY HAS IT BEEN 44 MONTHS SINCE THE CITY EMPLOYESS HAVE RECEIVED A RAISE?
Parks and Recreation!
That's why!
What the heck?
To the lovely individual who thumbed me down; the truth hurts doesn't it. The parks operations budget (excluding capital expenses) increased by almost $500,000 from 2010 to 2011 alone. http://cityofconway.org/pdfs/finance/ADOPTED_BUDGET_2011.pdf Guess who didn't get a raise in 2010 or 2011 (or 2012). That's right, the city employees. You parks lovers can keep on living in fantasy land, but the rest of us know the truth and we will vote accordingly in 2012 and 2014.
Exactly
You are exactly right. In 2003, the parks operational budget represented 4.4% of sales tax revenues. By 2011, that number grew to 11.9% of sales tax revenues. What kind of dollars are we talking about? Well from 2003 through 2011, sales tax revenues grew a total of $8 million dollars with $2 million of that going to the parks department.
aw parks
The quickest way to get a thumbs-down is to post a fact.
So then it must be true that
So then it must be true that a Honda will hold its value over time. ;-)
Yeah!
What the heck do we need police and firefighters for? We need more parks!!! Why haven't we built more parks? The ONLY thing this city needs is more parks!! I won't be happy until 75% of the city property is parks! That will bring more jobs, happiness, rainbows and unicorn crap to every citizen.
great idea
Unicorn park right next to the dog park.
General Disarray...you say?
I say..General Genius.
REPLACE TAB
In 4 week you have a chance to cut the head off the the beast.
FIRE TAB
REPLACE TAB
ANYONE BUT TAB
If you don't then stop complaining that nothing changes and it won't as long as Tab is the mayor.
And you can blame Mark Vaught too!!!!!!
Uniformed
Uniformed Employees deserve a raise. (Police and Fire). NOT Desk or city support personnel.
If the people, Paying the Taxes & Funding the city, have had to endure No pay raises, Pay Reductions, Furloughs, and Layoffs on top of Inflation.... then IMO city employees (With exception of the Uniformed Officers) can just endure with the rest of us...until the economy is at least back to an acceptable level.