The 2021-2022 City of Greensboro budget unofficially increased by about $1 million at the City Council work session on Monday, June 7.
The manager’s recommended budget totaled a little over $617 million, but the budget presented to the City Council for approval on Tuesday, June 15 will total over $618 million.
No other meetings are scheduled before that vote on June 15, but one major issue is still undecided. The manager’s recommended budget included $100,000 to start moving city employees from the current merit pay plan, where raises are determined by an employee’s evaluation, to a step pay plan, where all the employees on the same step receive the same salary increase.
At the June 7 work session it appeared that the City Council was split four to four on beginning the implementation of the step plan. Mayor Nancy Vaughan and City Councilmembers Justin Outling, Nancy Hoffmann and Marikay Abuzuaiter all spoke against implementing the step plan.
Councilmembers Sharon Hightower, Michelle Kennedy, Goldie Wells and Tammi Thurm all spoke in favor of it. Thurm’s support came only after she was assured by City Manager David Parrish that the City Council could go back to the merit system next year.
Councilmember Yvonne Johnson was absent from the meeting.
It’s an interesting split because the city employees, according to a survey, are decidedly in favor of the current merit plan. At the meeting on June 1, councilmembers in favor of the step plan complained that not enough employees had responded to the survey for it to be valid. At this meeting, Assistant City Manager Larry Davis explained that over 50 percent of the employees who would be involved in making the transition had responded to the survey and that 56 percent were in favor of the current merit system and only 22 percent were in favor of the step plan, with 22 percent undecided.
Hightower, who is one of the main proponents of the step plan, tried to count the undecided as in favor of the step plan, but that didn’t go over well with her fellow councilmembers.
It was somewhat unclear how or when this budget item would be decided.
You want mediocrity? You want your best employees leaving because their pay is the same as someone who just shows up everyday?
The percent of employees who get higher raises is miniscule. With the budget as it is, the “vast” number of employees get within fractional percentage points of other employees. An excellent employee might get a 4% increase, but the employee just getting by would still get about 2 or 2.5%. The question I would have is this . . . . .why is the City still giving out raises to those who are not performing at their best? I think it has to do with Hightower’s illogical thinking that everyone is against her and her constituents.
If the council stopped giving out grants to “community groups” like Skip & Earl’s museum, they’d have sufficient dollars for pay increases. But the council knows the grant is a one time thing (or recurring when they see fit), but the pay raises are permanent. Guess that tells you a lot about how they see their employees.
And, this goes on with Guilford County and the school system as well, not just COG.
And where was Councilmember Johnson? Was she out shopping and didn’t want to attend the meeting.
Dropping performance based pay is basically telling all county employees that performance doesn’t matter. This is why no commercial based company uses this methodology. We have seen what this has done to the school system that currently uses this approach. Principles just move out their underperformers to other schools and all the top talent moves to VA to receive a living wage.
And let me guess. Readers are upset because they are listening to constituents and realize there won’t be agreement. Has anyone heard of compromise?
Wanna bet on the outcome?
The federal government has a step plan. I was in the government and saw first hand how people do absolutely nothing and get a raise. Only a handful of people actually do any work and are in no hurry to get it done. Very demoralizing. Those that vote for the step plan are those that can’t do anything on their own. They need the government. Working welfare.
Tammi Thurm! Why go to this ridiculous socialist STEP PROGRAM for one year only? What a ridiculous waste of funds to implement a plan for one year.
An overwhelming majority of citizens do not want such a plan, for one year or more.
Scratch this ridiculous program and act on the will of the people!