Did Taxpayers Get Bitten Again?
I read in the "Pulaski Citizen" that there would be Holiday Closings, as there should be, in observance of Christmas and New Years. The announcement told about altered Garbage Collections and when the Pulaski Electric System would be closed. This information was very helpful and appreciated.
What was missing in the "closing announcements" was the County Offices. Nothing was stated about any County Office being closed. Of course we knew that the people in those offices not only were authorized time off but were very deserving of extra time off for such special events.
What came as a huge surprise was the fact that so much time would be taken off. The Courthouse and Annex with all it's offices closed Friday 23 December, Monday 26 December and Tuesday the 27th. Who knows what will happen for New Year's Day?
Is it reasonable that the Courthouse Offices be closed for such a long time when many have business that needs to be conducted. A twenty mile round trip to a closed Courthouse Office is very frustrating especially if it could have been avoided by a simple statement in the newspaper announcing closings.
There is another segment to this issue and that is the fact that county employees assigned duties in the Courthouse and the Courthouse Annex already are being paid for forty hour work weeks while only working thirty five hours per week. They already have what is perhaps the most lucrative pay and benefits in the County. How many places in the County are there that allows a person to retire after only ten years with over $500.00 a month of taxpayer money for life?
Isn't it time that the taxpayer funded County Worker come under the realities of life in the private sector? Is there such a great turn over among County employees that they have to be paid more and be given greater benefits than the private sector worker? It certainly isn't the fault of the County employee that their pay and benefits are so far out of line with the private sector, like any reasonable person they only take what is offered to them. The fault lies in a lack of a realistic, responsible examination of the pay and benefits that are currently available to many County employees.
What was missing in the "closing announcements" was the County Offices. Nothing was stated about any County Office being closed. Of course we knew that the people in those offices not only were authorized time off but were very deserving of extra time off for such special events.
What came as a huge surprise was the fact that so much time would be taken off. The Courthouse and Annex with all it's offices closed Friday 23 December, Monday 26 December and Tuesday the 27th. Who knows what will happen for New Year's Day?
Is it reasonable that the Courthouse Offices be closed for such a long time when many have business that needs to be conducted. A twenty mile round trip to a closed Courthouse Office is very frustrating especially if it could have been avoided by a simple statement in the newspaper announcing closings.
There is another segment to this issue and that is the fact that county employees assigned duties in the Courthouse and the Courthouse Annex already are being paid for forty hour work weeks while only working thirty five hours per week. They already have what is perhaps the most lucrative pay and benefits in the County. How many places in the County are there that allows a person to retire after only ten years with over $500.00 a month of taxpayer money for life?
Isn't it time that the taxpayer funded County Worker come under the realities of life in the private sector? Is there such a great turn over among County employees that they have to be paid more and be given greater benefits than the private sector worker? It certainly isn't the fault of the County employee that their pay and benefits are so far out of line with the private sector, like any reasonable person they only take what is offered to them. The fault lies in a lack of a realistic, responsible examination of the pay and benefits that are currently available to many County employees.
posted by Allen Barrett | 10:55 AM
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