By: Diane Benjamin
Maybe some companies do give cost of living wage increases, I’ve just never heard of any. Of course government exists for government employees, so the Town of Normal has it written in the City Code – twice a year revisions. Wage increases are separate.
Tonight the Council has to approve a $51,000 budget amendment because not enough money is available in the budget to cover the cost of living increases required to be paid starting October 1st.
PDF page 49: http://www.normal.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3030
Total cost of living increases for the year will amount to 2.22%. That’s more than a lot of people get in salary increases, but then they don’t work for government.
At Large representatives are a huge part of the problem in Normal and why the Trustees felt secure burying you in debt and spending money frivolously. They don’t represent any particular group of people. When voters can select up to three, they should be picking only the best – even if it isn’t three! Uniformed voters pick three names they know, hence you get a WGLT News Director on the Board making news and reporting it. It’s an obvious conflict of interest to most, just not to ISU and the Town of Normal. Controlling the news is what Russia does!
Citizens in the Village of Rantoul are putting a referendum on the ballot to require a Ward system, their elections are currently at large. Have the citizens of Normal had enough yet? The government supposedly represents you and is up to you to change it.
Read the story here: http://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/2018/08/rantoul-residents-submit-referendum-to-divide-village-board-into-six-trustee-districts/
Somehow Americans have forgotten the “consent of the governed” statement in the Declaration of Independence.
You don’t have to fight a war, just get it on the ballot and inform the voters of why.
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Most private companies have done away with cost of living increases and salary increases are solely performance-based.
This speaks to one of the things that bothers me most about govt jobs. Used to be, if you worked for the govt, you didn’t pull much salary, because you’re paid by the taxpayer. In exchange for that lower salary, you got a richer benefits package.
Now, if you work for the govt, you earn at least as much as you would in the private sector…AND…you still get your rich benefits packages.
How often do we hear govt officials say things like “well, we have to pay these people competitively with the private market in order to attract and retain the best”….but NEVER hear them say “we have to modernize our benefits packages to be more in line with the private sector”…which is why Town of Normal employees still get away with $10 copays, dirt-cheap premiums and cost of living adjustments.
And defined benefit pension plans, not defined contribution like the rest of the private sector. Only in government could such a crazy scheme exist due to an endless supply of tax payer dollars with no consequence for the debt we’re raking up. Truth is tax payers have absorbed the increases in Illinois pension debt to a greater degree than the employees who benefit from them.
You are 100% correct. If performance was actually measured for these employees, there would be some who didn’t get raises based on their performance, especially those involved in “economic development” (redistribution to the chosen few). In the public sector, their pay/benefits package is much more than most private employees can ever dream of.
When will the councils realize workers will not leave their cushy city/town posts for other jobs if their pay is held in line with the economy/actual performance. They aren’t going to give up their better pay/benefits and go somewhere where they likely have more expectations and accountability.
$10 co-pays!!!! I remember $15 co-pays before Obama ruined health insurance.
You aren’t saving $2500 a year? Obama promised! My doctor quit too, that can’t be Obama’s fault!
Glad I live in Blm…..hahaha!