What The Sunnyside City Manager And Employees Don’t Want You To Know
December 5, 2008 3 Comments
From 2005 to the 2009 preliminary budget, base pay for City employees has increased from $4,307,476 to $5,587,184.60. This is nearly a 30% increase! Keep in mind this is base pay only. This figure does not include overtime pay, or the full benefits each employee gets. In the proposed budget for 2009, it is my understanding that benefits will cost an additional 24-25% of the pay for each employee. But that is a story for another day. Today, I am simply going to focus on some basic payroll numbers.
According to usinflationcalculator.com, the rate of inflation from 2005-2008 is 10.9%. The City payroll budget is increasing at nearly 3 times the rate of inflation! What’s more, the number of employees are decreasing as the City Council cuts personnel to pay for even more increases in pay! This is getting out of hand. The City Council needs to start showing some restraint in its spending increases. Services are being cut, public safety is being jeopardized by cuts to law enforcement, and taxes are being increased to pay for this engorged payroll budget.
Several employees have seen pay increases of 35% during this time frame. The increases are coming so quickly, that there are four employees that will be paid more than City Manager Eric Swansen next year. I bet he will expect a raise also. The employees making more than the City Manager are: City Attorney Mark Kunkler: $95,868.49; Fire Chief Aaron Markham: $95,868.49; Police Chief Edwin Radder: $95,868.49; and Public Works Director James Bridges: $96,749.14.
It is also my understanding that several of these most highly paid employees do not even reside in Sunnyside. This is a significant sum of money being taken out of our local economy. When the City Council takes this budget up, I would suggest making a new policy for City employees: that all new hires be residents of the City of Sunnyside. In addition, to remain employed with the City, they will be required to maintain residence in the City of Sunnyside. If this clause is not in the City Manager’s contract, it should be added before any raises are given.
Eric Swansen, City Manager, projects a 5% increase in pay for each coming year. Where did he get this number? It certainly is not tied to inflation. The current inflation rate is 3.7%. He certainly did not get his number from growth of the Sunnyside economy. Mr. Swansen himself estimates the local economy will only grow 1-2%.
Attention Citizens: We are about to get hammered with even more cuts in services, and simultaneous tax increases. If nothing changes, the same actions will need to be taken at budget time next year also. And the year after that. And the year after that. We can make it stop!
The title of this post is “What the Sunnyside City Manager And Employees Don’t Want You To Know”. The reason for this is because the type of analysis I am doing is not possible with information on the City’s website. Legacy budget information is not posted on-line for the citizens to see. This is important. Union contracts are negotiated for three years at a time. At a minimum, three years of budget information should be available for review. Why hide this information? How much can it cost to post annual budgets on-line for the past 5-10 years? This information should also include a breakdown of payroll information, and detail for each department. Hey City Council, how about making the budget a little more open and transparent for all of us to see?
About Jason R. Raines
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Interesting blog ! Here is my side to it. We have 7 council members representing themselves and their ideals. NOT ONE OF THEM REPRESENTING THE TAXPAYER. Now what would happen if all the taxpayers refused to pay their city taxes and water and sewer? Could this city absorb the loss in revenue. Absolutely not. But, would they quit spending? NO !! Not until they are bankrupt. The reason be that there are no business people on the council. Hancock has a socialist liquor store. Restucci has a dictator internet business. Stone voted not to raise taxes. Epps went in to change things. Stone and Epps are liberals per say for the employees. Stone was the leader in a manager coup!. And Epps and Stone got what they want by lying ! And Restucci was the idiot lied too. Thus Restucci was the vote that got rid of the former manager. Then the mayor Garcia. Has never voted on any issue until the majority has voted. And he has always voted with the majority. Thus not representing the taxpayer either. So, what can we expect in a new city manager. They needed someone just like themselves. Thus we get a liberal to run this town. And all the liberals per this council and management think the city can just keep raising taxes and it will never catch up with them. If this liberal council would just let new development start-up. We would not have a negative spending habit.
But, it is best that this council keeps showing their true colors thus maybe the city taxpayers will see they did make a grave mistake in the last elections. And if the people who voted for Stone, Epps and Garcia keep voting these people back in. Then they deserve to let the city tax them to death!
Don,
Thanks for the comment. Theresa Hancock runs a private retail store, albeit with heavy government regulation. However, it is not a state run store. Jim Restucci an internet dictator? He does not tell me what to do on my blog. He can certainly try, but I am the dictator here!
I am thankful when Council Members hold the line on taxes and expenses as Carol Stone has done recently.
It is troubling when things like taxes for garbage collection are going to be increased to pay for City Employee pay raises. This is an abuse. Garbage collection is contracted out, and rates should be based on the cost of collection. This tax should not used to line pockets of employess at City Hall.
I do agree with you, that fewer restrictions on development, and regulation on businesses would help our local economy. Business and residential taxes are both being increased, taking more money out of our struggling local economy.
Mr Raines- You say you are the dictator on your blog. The difference between you and Restucci is that you do not charge to yalk on your blog. Now on net axcess you pay for their services to have a dictator’s services.
I also bet being you say you are a dictator on your Blog. That your wife is the boss at home. All men, when away from the wives are more cocky instyle than when the women are home. I know I am not the boss in my house. I am in pain constantly without being a battered husband. Thus, I will obligate all the wife’s demands . Still looking for a second job for her !!