Police, fire salaries take center stage at town hall meeting
Mayor, council answers questions about tax rededication
Salaries of those working for police and fire departments dominated discussion during a town hall meeting held Thursday night at the McGee Center.
The meeting, held by the Faulkner County Tea Party, focused on the upcoming special election involving the rededication of a quarter-cent sales tax, but many of those who asked questions of Mayor Tab Townsell and members of the city council wanted to know what caused the absence of pay raises for police and fire department employees for three years.
Townsell pointed to the need to keep the tax going and appropriating the proper funds in order to compete with the police and fire departments from Little Rock and neighboring cities. He said that could begin with one-time bonus to employees that would come out of the general fund.
“We have a plan in place for a pay scale for employees,” Townsell said. “We are going to be checking with Little Rock and adjust to them. We are definitely going to be focused on that this year.”
Members of the fire department spoke to the turnover problem within the department, stating that fire fighters in Little Rock make about $20,000 more per year. Fire Chief Bart Castleberry said that the past year’s turnover rate is the highest that he has seen.
Alderman Andy Hawkins said he was worried that if the rededication did not pass, he would not be able to find any money for proper salaries.
“There is bad news,” he said. “I know exactly what [fire fighters and police officers] will be making if we don’t get this passed.”
The juxtaposition of better salaries against better equipment also was questioned. Townsell said that an eighth-cent of the tax will pay bond debt for expenses including two new ladder trucks and three pumper trucks for the fire department, new police cars and new sanitation equipment. The fire equipment alone could have a price tag of $6 million.
The special election, which will be held on Feb. 14, will have four parts. The first two will need to be passed, Townsell said, or the entire package, will fail. The other two will be options of issuing bond debt and paying it off vs. a “pay-as-you-go” mentality. Alderman Mark Vaught pointed out that voting for the first two proposals but against the second two proposals would slow things down for the council in order for them to address what was most important.
“I am not sure we need every single bit of fire equipment today,” Vaught said. “This would allow us to not have to borrow up front.”
Alderman Jim Rhodes said he believed it was important to pass all four proposals now because commitments could get watered down for the future.
“We have to realize that some things could cost more in the future,” he said. “Passing all four items would give us a more stable situation sooner, and we would be in a better place moving forward.”
The problem with the lack of a general fund reserve was addressed with the mayor saying the council has learned from the stupidity of the past.
“We have a commitment that funds placed in the reserve will not be spent,” he said. “That has already been promised by this council.”
Early voting for the rededication will begin on Feb. 7.
Comments (98)
Add commentReally?
“We have a plan in place for a pay scale for employees,” Townsell said. “We are going to be checking with Little Rock and adjust to them. We are definitely going to be focused on that this year.” ********If there is a plan, let's see it. I want to hear from the employees themselves this time before I vote. I bet it is just like the one in 2001 http://thecabin.net/stories/082901/loc_0829010015 Look what the police said about it then http://thecabin.net/stories/080901/loc_0809010021.shtml And look how the firefighters felt about it http://thecabin.net/stories/092601/loc_0926010025.shtml
Where are the numbers?
Thank you "knowthefacts" for the links. So it seems the Mayor has known about a problem since 2001 and has chosen to completely ingnore the problem. Fast forward to current time and the Mayor-Council wants to completely get rid of the current salaries and replace them with competive pay. I'm not for sure I believe them. To prove my point, Where are the numbers that will replace the current salaries? If I was the Mayor and was wanting this tax to pass, I would make sure the citizens-employees knew exactly what their salary would be.
Last night, each was proud
Last night, each was proud enough to brag about their long service (Decade long) as Mayor or as a member of the city council. All this was put to the back drop, of them describing the massive economic problems & what appears to be chaos, that have grown from small issues into a full blown crisis... According to them we are currently 1-Ice Storm away, from City wide bankruptcy...(Now who is/has been in charge, and how did they let it get to this???)
Interesting, they want a re-dedication (Extension to continue) of the tax that is going to sunset, and allow them to break up half of that tax to be used in a General (unrestricted) manner they see fit..(As opposed to the restricted mandated use as it exists now). They did talk about what they "Plan" to use the revenue for in some specifics. but ask yourself......"If these are the same people who were in charge and oversaw the mess the blew up out of control.. how can we trust the very same people who oversaw the mess, to fix it".
IMO they will see that money sitting there free from restrictions, and like ALL politicians, their hands will itch and mouths water...then you will see More of the same mismanagement of funds that never fix the problems of our Police/firefighters having to look elsewhere, because the city would rather spend it's money on yet another Park or massive increase in Park Budgets, than pay it's Uniformed Employees what they have earned.
**Also note: they Talk about Conway growing from 25,000 to 50,000 - 60,000 in the last 10-15 years. As for "Revenue", wouldn't the city revenue Also have grown, to match the population??
Good Point... Havok!
Here are the reports on Sales Tax Collections ONLY. This doesnt include any other amounts or "Turn Back" dollars, No Burger Tax, Nothing but the 1.75% collected on every dollar in the city limits of Conway.
They show that in 2002 there was $13.7 million in Sales Tax Revenue collected for Conway. It also shows for 2011 that amount was $18.2 million. Thats a 33% increase in the amount collected. Census data shows that the City of Conway grew at a rate of 36.5% from 2000 to 2010. Pretty close to call that good if you ask an Arkie! Don't forget these numbers don't include other sources of revenue that have increased over the years too.
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/05/0515190.html
http://www.dfa.arkansas.gov/offices/exciseTax/salesanduse/Pages/TaxColle...
You forgot inflation
If you adjust for the rise in prices, we collected $17.1 in 2002 and $18.2m in 2011, but the city grew by 36%. So if my numbers hold we were collecting $450 per person and now we collect only $300 per person. And we wonder why the town is falling apart?
Wait a minute.....
"Alderman Andy Hawkins said he was worried that if the rededication did not pass, he would not be able to find any money for proper salaries."
So, Alderman Hawkins is admitting the council has been operating in such a manner that it is fiscally unsound? To depend on the rededication of this tax as a fait accompli speaks volumes to the money hungry attitudes on the city council.
Out with all of them.
Heck
Nobody else is getting raises, what makes this crew feel so special?
Economy's just now coming out of the tank and these guys want to play the "I deserve more money, poor me!" card?
Why? Because some people have more money?
Welcome to the new millennium. If you wanted to make money you should've got into investment banking with the rest of the greed-heads. Otherwise you got a job which allows you the free time to sit around and lift weights and grouse about your pay scale -- so whaddaya' complaining about?
EDIT
And drive around in a fuel-sucking SUV.
My name is Michael Felty
My name is Michael Felty and I am an Engineer for the Conway Fire Department. I promoted from firefighter to Engineer in April of 2010 after a grueling testing process along with 4 other firefighters. The jump from firefighter to engineer is a big increase in responsibility and duties most of which are life and death. Among other things the engineer has to make sure the crew on the engine makes it to scene safely and provide adequate water on fire scenes.
Of the 5 that were promoted, 2 of us did not receive pay for this promotion. We have sent letters up through our chain of command to resolve this situation as well as sending letters to the council and mayor with no response. I was told two days ago that the mayor has no intentions of compensating us for the job we have been performing. Almost 2 years of doing a job that you are not getting paid for is a good sign the mayor and the council does not care about your public safety employees. We have been told on about 4 occasions that this situation has been fixed only to find out that they have no intentions of compensating us.
Let me reitterate. The mayor, council, and human resources know about this situation and have known since before the test was given in 2010 and still refuse to make this right. This is a situation that the public should know about. I am a 5 year veteran the CFD as an engineer and I make what a 2 year firefighter should make. This situation goes beyond just me. There have been at least a dozen firefighters hired since me that will not be compensated for engineer once they are eligible. There are also police officers that have been promoted that are not getting paid for there service as well. Several firefighters have quit to find other jobs, 2 have left to go work for Jacksonville Fire Department because the could not see a future with our department which is a slap in the face to our great department. More will leave if something is not done.
In November the council passed an ordinance to restructure the parks department and some of the parks employees were given raises because of increased duties and responsibilities. We sent emails to the council and mayor to explain to us how there increased responsibilities were more important than ours and recieved no good reply.
Having said this I believe the city should not pass the Tax Rededication because it will not fix any of our salary issues. The proposed fix is a one time bonus. The bonus will not fix the money we have lost to retirement. The mayor has broken promises to us before and I have confidence that this will be no different.
My name is Colby Lester. I
My name is Colby Lester. I am one the other firefighters to get promoted to Engineer without pay 2 years ago.
Everything Michael Felty said is true. We've been promised multiple times this issue would be resolved and it hasn't been. Two days ago, my department head notified me the mayor said, "The Engineer pay issue is not resolved and WOULD NOT be resolved in the future". So there you have it.
The City Council harped several times on the quote "We are one ice storm away from bankruptcy".
I can say this and be quite certain. The Citizens of Conway are one hiring spree away from having a incompetent and severely undermanned fire department. If Little Rock, North Little Rock, SWN, or anyone else decided to hire, it would take nothing for people to start leaving in groups. As citizens, you should be aware that people are already leaving the fire department (and I'm sure Police as well) in huge numbers, and that number is only going to grow.
You might say, "we'll just hire more"... That's always been the case. In the past, Conway Fire Department has been the place to work. When I took the new hire test over 5 years ago, over 200 people showed up to test. Of those 200, about 40 made it to the end. Everyone wanted the job.
Conway's current situation is no secret. This year, around 30 people showed up to test, and only about 7 made the cut. Of those 7, if I'm not mistaken, 6 have been hired due to people leaving for other departments and jobs. There is no one lined up. Conway is the most underpaid department around, and if you want someone trained and efficient to show up to your house when you husband is having a heart attack, your child or grandchild is choking, or if your house is on fire, things have to change.
According to a recent salary study, at a minimum, our salary is $10,000/year behind on average and much more than that in other places.
I myself, along with many, many Conway firefighters I know, will be testing at other departments this year. It's no secret. Our department heads (hopefully) understand that one must do what he has to to take care of his family.
Last night, the mayor said we as citizens, must trust him. Why should we. When I was hired, I was handed a pay grid, and if you were there last night and heard what the mayor said, I assure you there was no discrepancy. I was told raises are not guaranteed, but this pay grid, it's a guarantee of what you'll be making. The mayor and city council have betrayed my trust the last 3 years by not giving any step increases. After the increase in insurance, I'm making less now than I was 5 years ago. Why should I trust the mayor or council, they've never given me a reason to.
So, if the Citizens of Conway want a competent, trained Fire Department, something must be done soon, or you're going to lose it.
Salaries
My son is a police officer for the Texarkana, AR police department, as a 1st year officer he makes close to $40,000.00 a year. He ''recieves"a step raise each year, by the time he's a 5th year officer he'll be making over $50,000.00 a year. Now they do require their officers to have at least 2 years college, but Texarkana only has about 30,000 people. Just food for thought.