To demonstrate just how out of touch they are, Democratic city-county councilors are taking up a proposal at tonight's council meeting to raise their own pay 75%. While council members like you to think they are paid only $11,000, the reality is they are paid about $16,000 per year when you factor in the per diem allowance they get for attending council meetings. If the raise is approved, council member's annual pay would be boosted $8,500 to nearly $25,000 per year. A big perk to the job is the ability to join the city's health care plan for employees. How many part-time jobs offer health care benefits?
Today's Star article lists the pay of council members in other major cities to demonstrate that council members are underpaid compared to their counterparts in other cities. This comparison is extremely misleading. The size of Indianapolis' council, 29 members, is much larger than that of many cities. The Star points out that Austin's city council members are paid $45,011. A few years ago, I managed a project to install an Agenda Management System for the Austin city council when I worked for an IT company in Carmel. Austin's council consists of just five elected members. They are full-time lawmakers with full-time paid staff. They meet more frequently than Indianapolis' city-county council, and they have a much larger agenda. Austin has a weak mayor compared to Indianapolis, delegating more power to the council.
After reading in yesterday's Star that City-County Council President Monroe Gray is having $350 garnished from his paycheck every two weeks starting February 15 to satisfy judgments related to his concrete business, it becomes a little clearer why Monroe is trying to force the pay raise through in an election year.
UPDATE: At tonight's city-county council meeting Rozelle Boyd withdrew as the author of the proposed ordinance providing a 75% pay raise for council members, which effectively killed the proposal.
24 comments:
Dr. Rozelle Boyd, who proposed the council raise, is one of the longest-serving elected officials in Indiana, having been chosen by the voters to our Council in 1967. He hardly needs the money since he is a retired Dean from IU-Bloomington...
Who votes on pay raises for the MAYOR ? If it is the City council then every time they vote the MAYOR a raise do they get a coporesponding raise also ?
9:02 - You are correct it appears from my interpretation of codes (IANAL) the CCC sets the Mayor's salary. What the CCC is doing in Rozelle Boyd's proposal is changing the percentage of Mayor's salary the CCC members receive in base. So the Mayor is not receiving a raise, the CCC members are.
Wilson, it doesn't matter who proposed the raise. What matters is that the leaders of the CCC are so out of touch with the pressing issues facing our city that they haven't spoken out in opposition. Health care benefits for a part-time job and per diem expenses? Gimme a break. The fleecing of the taxpayers by an corrupt administration is the real issue.......I'll wait for your slighted, partisan, illogical response.
They whine about not having a pay raise since 1999, which is justified in one sense.
But 75%?? As an employer I've always tried to give pay raises in the 3-5% range when possible; anything much less than that the employee is likely losing to inflation.
I didn't do the proper math (maybe someone else will), but I think if you crunch the numbers the council is talking about more-or-less double what we in the private sector would consider appropriate (not to mention we give raises based on good performance, which is certainly questionable for the council).
With such unfruitful name-calling, 'feduptaxpayer' is wise to conceal her identity behind a pseudonym...
Sir Hailstone . ..
What I am asking is - When the MAYOR Gets a raise - does the CCC m,embers get a raise also since thier base salary is based on the mayors salary. If the Mayor makes about $95,000 and the CCC members get 25% of that, if he gets a $10,000 later on - do the members of the CCC get a $2,500 raise also ?
Any who gives the mayor a raise ? the CCC ?
The City-County Council is the representative of the taxpayers and must approve all budget items including salaries of all City-County employees.
Yes, they vote the Mayor's salary.
Looks like corruption runs on both sides. The Dems would cry about the Cottey/Goldsmith corruption, yet they remain quite when it comes to Dems getting caught. These people are why anyone even _thinking_ about living in Marion Co. should have their head examined. The reason is because these hacks know they will get voted no matter what. It will take a Detroit like homicide rate (about one killing/day) of young black males before the minority community wakes up to see that the good ol'boy network is not just for boys and is not confined to white folks. There has always been family and business connections in politics. The thing is that the current players in the Marion Co. Democrat party just act like they can do whatever. They don't even try to hide stuff. They just do it, then start making excuses after things are aired out in public. Don't worry, they will continue to get elected. If there is enough robberies and thefts, the socialist/progressive non-minority voters _might_ start demanding change. It will take nothing less than a lot more young black males dying for the minority voting block to wake-up.
I am going to start keeping a list of all these corrupt actions in Marion Co.. For the first time in my life, I might actually have to attend a government meeting in my home county if _ANY_ regional taxes are discussed. I don't want to share taxes with Marion Co.. I want the entire tax to go to _my_ county where I can vote. Regional taxes are taxation without representation.
A lot more people want to live in Marion County than in whatever little doughnut county the above anonymous commenter lives in. If it werent for The Big City of Indianapolis, those surrounding counties would be like Greensburg or Warsaw: isolated rural backwaters...
Anon 1106 - I agree with you.
I did not live hear when Cottey/Goldsmith ran amuck, but a neighbor or mine is related to Cottey and doesn't have a good thing to say about him. But on to current day, which is what matters...the bunch of crooks in office now are out of control. I currently live in Marion county, but am thinking it is time to move to a doughnut for the simple reason the Mayor sees no problem with local politics, and if he does he is deadly silent about it.
And guess what, when Indianapolis gets to be the next New Orleans or Detroit because of its growing crime problem, you can blame the democrats on the tarnish you can't get rid of around the nation.
Ouch, Wilson...the swipe at smalltown Indiana was out of line. I love Indy, but have close relatives in Warsaw. It is NOT an isolated backwater town. The world's largest orthpaedic device company is headquiartered there, having been started in an inventor's garage 40 years ago. A true success story.
Beautiful country, too...lakes, hills...
One thing they don't have, to my knowledge: snipey bloggers who defend all things Democratic/Center Township, defying all odds and truth.
Luckily, few people seem to take Wilson seriously.
And, although Councilman Dr. Boyd is a nice guy, he needs to go. 1967 to now is just too long...he is likely the most-senior member of the Council. Wisdom does not always come with longevity. Clearly.
If we did away with the bad things Unigov did for us, there would be, maybe, 15 council members. And no separate city governments in Beech Grove, Speedway and Lawrence. Talk about expensive duplicaiton of services.
But then, that's just the opinion of a rural hick who moveed to Indy's eastside a couple of decades ago. Take it for what it's worth.
I read this on a comment over on the Rag:
The $11,400.00 figure is misleading. It should be explained that is the base salary, upon which councillors earn another $3100.-3500.00 annually for attending 40 meetings per year.
Is this true?
Once again, no real response from Wilson when confronted with the truth about the corrupt Democrats "leading" this city. And, I'm a male Wilson, proving once again, try as you might, and no matter how bad you want to know who I really am, you are unable. I am not connected to any politicians, any commissions or boards, any associations or clubs. Just an average Joe tired of all that you and the majority of those in charge stand for. November cannot come soon enough
"feduptaxpayer" insists on using a fake name to hurl invective but could be Brian Bosma or the Queen of Romania for all we know. Such Nastygrams from anonymous naysayers dont carry much weight in the real world ...
Apparently minority contractors were awarded "NO BID" contracts at the airport, often costing considerably more than the low bid non minority firms bid on the same or similar jobs. So much for racial profiling or should I say affirmative action.
NO see Wilson you want me to be one of "those" people. I am not. Regardless of who I am, you will continue to turn a blind eye to those in your circle who do wrong, both criminally and towards the taxpayers of this county. That is the real thing that bothers your conscience, not that people "talk" on blogs, but that you find yourself making excuses for the things our supposed "leaders" are doing.
"If it werent for The Big City of Indianapolis, those surrounding counties would be like Greensburg or Warsaw: isolated rural backwaters..."
Too funny! If it were not for the towns/cities surrounding Marion Co., Marion Co. would be a wasteland. Maybe you did not know this, but a good number of Colts season ticket holders come from _outside_ Indy. Considering I have seen Marion Co. housing additions on the eastside sit empty for a long time tells me you are wrong about people wanting Marion Co. over Hancock. Who is going to pay $175K+ for Indy schools when you can get almost the same thing one mile away with lower property taxes and better schools? Oh wait, only the idiots who don't understand the concept of planning. Well, I guess some of those folks moving to Indy are idiots...look at who they elect to represent them!!
In addition to salary, the Council members receive free health insurance and other benefits that may be worth an addditional $20,000 per year.
They pulled it off the table because there were citizens there they would have to look in the eye! They are waiting for the "clucking" to subside, but they will try to sneak it in again, keep policing the CCC - on ALL fronts.
"They pulled it off the table because there were citizens there they would have to look in the eye! They are waiting for the "clucking" to subside, but they will try to sneak it in again, keep policing the CCC - on ALL fronts."
Rozelle Boyd can't be afraid of a six foot tall Chicken can he? Hmmmm....
Boyd withdrew because of public pressure. The CCC meeting was awash with citizens who were going to speak against the raise. From Cop's wives to regular moes, they were out in force.
He saw the signs, "just say NO", "Democrat CCC and Mayor EZ on Crime", "Dump the corrupt Democrats" he had no choice. The CCC didn't want more discourse discussed in an open forum.
YouTube Video HERE of Rozelle Boyd chickening out of his proposal.
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