Employee data - Debate
This past week's BudComm meeting had a lively discussion as to whether or not the Town and School Board employee information (salary and burden information should be printed in the Town Report).
It seemed clear that there were two camps, and who were in which camp (listen to the entire meeting notes here). Dale is in the camp that believes it is not.
Opinion
It seems fairly clear that this would not be received well by town or school employees, and I think it's easy to understand why. Which of us would be happy if our incomes were posted for all to see?
Whether or my salary is posted or not is a strawman argument. That said, to be perfectly honest, I could care less if someone did - it doesn't matter to me, as it is what it is. I have come to that stage of life where salary is not the end-all-be-all that it used to be at the beginning of my career. It's not that it isn't important, but I learned a long time ago that letting one's career define you is a losing proposition for all other facets of your life (if you allow yourself to have a life outside of "career" - something that for many years, I did not).
Anyways, the fault with this argument is that I am not a public employee, and neither is Dale. We made the choice to be in the private sector - thus our income numbers are "private" (at least theoretically). It is a different case for public employees - that data IS public.
True, taxpayers are technically the employers, and have every right to have this data. But let's be clear about what we're talking about.Dale should have stopped at the first sentence...
And that is one of the primary differences between private and public sector employees. One expects to have the cloak of privacy envelope them - the other has made the decision to forgo that cloak. Unlike private sector employees that rely on the profit motive for a living (for if there is no profit, neither will there be jobs at some point), the public employees exist solely to work on behalf of the needs of the townfolk and are renumerated by the tax monies of the tax payers.
Total salary expenses for each department are already readily available to everyone (including right here on this site - just go to the 2008 Budget page, then click on the department, and on the budget spreadsheet for that department). And if you're not happy with a combined department salary number, you can head on down to town hall and ask for more detail.
Salaries make up about 60% of the budgets of the Town and the SAU (roughly). Dale's info is true enough if all you have interest in is in the aggregate. However, based on the simple Town Salary Comparison that the Budget Committee did last year (of which I was a part and posted it here at GilfordGrok), it was clear that a number of eyebrows were raised when the numbers were made public.
And if the townfolk are to make logical, rational decisions in the voting booth or in getting the attention of the Selectmen over the size of the payroll, that information has to be made available.
What we're talking about here is listing each individual name within each department, along with their salary, in the town's annual report booklet.I'll go further, as I want to know what each employee is costing:
- Salary
- FICA
- Federal Income tax
- Health insurance
- Dental insurance
- Life insurance
- Retirement costs
- Stipends
- Designated Reimbursements
- Other
The above should give a good picture as to how much an employee costs the taxpayers - information that any employer or manager needs to know in order to effectively manage the payroll part of the budget. Just as in materials or services costs, payroll costs need to be managed as well. While there are paid managers in place, the Selectmen and School Board are in place, and BudComm watching out, taxpayers should be reviewing the numbers as well to make sure that nothing is sliding out of line.
Given the response I got for posting the numbers last year of the comparison, there are those that believe some numbers are out of whack and need to be adjusted over time. It is very true that individual taxpayers have no say over an individual's salary - that is up to the Administration and Selectmen / School Board to set and administer. Don't like? Either get folks to agree with you and do some voting, or run for office and replace those with whom you disagree - that's how one can set policy. But not until.
The handful of Gilford residents who don't sleep well because they don't know exactly what Jane Doe in the Planning department is making will be spared a trip to town hall.
Is that worth it? Not in my opinion.
Dale's whole emphasis during the campaign was that some were being "divisive". Yet, is the above a "diss" on some citizens? Some of us on the BudComm know that there are those in town that want to see the info but for whatever reason, cannot muster up the courage to go to town hall and ask. That's why we want to ask the Selectmen to include it in the Town Report. By his own words, he does not.
Does he represent the townfolk and make government more open and transparent, or the folks that work for the townfolk?
Note: I also notice, that just like this blog site, Dale is now offering opinion now at his site. Way to go Dale!
Comments
Didn't I raed somewhere recently that the Sanbornton Selectboard decided to publish the very same information as a "right to know" and token of good will to their townspeople....I like the 'we have nothing to hide' attitude they showed. Very refreshing. Too bad it's almost shocking to do the right think for the taxpayers they serve. I just cant stand playing 20-questions with these folks.
Posted by: Barbara | October 31, 2007 12:01 PM