HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0349.001 1998-2000 U3
~ ~ - - - WEDNESDAY • June 16,1999
1~dd to our wish list:
pay raise for police
,die list of things we'd like to keting.
have but can'tfindthe money We've suggestedthe ooun-
forisgrowing.NowiYsapay tiesdedaretheirfiscalitrde-
raise forpolice officers. pendence and give up the
Of cQUrsethevdeserve a pay chaseforsupportfromthe
ra~e.');heauestionis,~'s statetteasury.
ttte'mong~fro__m_? State lawmakers should do
"
Rrepoliceofficers~iad theirpart, statutorilyandfis-
asked forpayand benefits in- tally, to 5ndways to ease such
cya+4easesthatwouldhaveto- atransition
~F~ about 40 percent wer &rt ultimately, the r+esponsi-
foiy;yeazs.'Ilu~oughthearbi- bilityistheooutrties'.
ttation process mandated by Forthose who hope that
state law, thatwas urtto ato- MayorJeremyHarris Catr nerd
tal~ofaboutl4.5perrerrt. yeazdiscoveranother$160
°'ii~atwas disappointing to million lying around, there's a
thtYofficers,butaLsotothe rude awakening.'Ihatwasa
c(itttrties, which argued they one-time-only sleightof--hand.
can't afford arty pay raise. '-For ose o placetheir
~~ftiaYsthenatureofour hopeinanewstatelawfotfiid-
Solomonicarbitration process; ding union pay raises for the
of cowse. l7re union asks for nerd two years, sorry, it's un-
themoon, the employer asks constitutional
for aero, and everyone knows For Robert Steinberg, cfrair-
the rt'sultwID besomewhere man of the police officers' az-
inbetween bitrationpanel, whothinksthe
True, it pneverds strikes. But economywill temverin time
it also assures utrcontrolled to fund the pay raise, or if not,
d- aproperiytaxincreasewouki
`g. be justified to cover k, we
Onthe surface ofit, it seems wonderwhatplatr~he's been
the counties are victims of living on
state government, which man- He's right about one thing,
dates the arbitration process however: Tbes~untiles will
but'lets the counties pay for it haveto fund the raise ei-
~Vhat'S more, the state dl- th 1315 taares Or cut-
vertedmillions ofstate hotel 'ng s
v{~s. o sago
rdpmtaxdollarsfromthe neUSr-to startthinldngabout ~mm. No. `3~9' 00/
counties to fund tourism mar- those tough choices. ~O S
File No.
- - Ref. To: PrssMted COU.vu~
Ref. Hate JUL 2 8 19,x,