The Greensboro City Council actually discussed the city budget at the work session on Tuesday, June 9.
This may not sound like news, but since the present City Council was elected in 2017 it has never discussed the budget in any depth at a work session or council meeting. The revenue shortfall, caused mainly by a significant drop in sales tax revenue, put this City Council in a position where it did not have all the money it wanted to spend and, in the current economic environment, raising taxes was not considered an option.
Part of that budget discussion was about how much of a raise to give city employees.
Councilmember Sharon Hightower has been lobbying for a cost of living adjustment (COLA) for all city employees for years, and this year Hightower prevailed. It has been the long time practice of the City of Greensboro to give merit raises instead of across the board or COLA raises.
The budget recommended by City Manager David Parrish included a 1.5 percent COLA for all city employees and Hightower said, “I would love to do 3 percent. Some of the employees want a 3 percent.”
Budget and Evaluation Director John Decker gave a presentation that noted that Guilford County had revised its projected increase in property values, which will result in an additional $1.6 million in the city’s estimated property tax revenue and allow the city to increase the cost of living raise raise to 2 percent without additional reductions in spending. Each 0.5 percent increase in the COLA costs the city about $500,000.
The consensus of the City Council was for the 2 percent COLA.
The City Council constantly compares itself to “peer” cities in the state in areas like property tax, water rates, employee benefits and just about every other metric there is.
But in providing in providing a COLA for employees this year Greensboro stands alone. According to the budget presentation not a single peer city in North Carolina is giving their employees a COLA and that comparison includes High Point, Charlotte, Wilmington, Raleigh, Fayetteville, Asheville, Cary, Durham, Greenville, Winston-Salem and also Guilford County.
Fayetteville, Asheville, Cary, Durham, Greenville and Winston-Salem are offering no raises for employees in their budgets.
The other cities have included a 2 percent to 4 percent average merit increase, which is the normal practice for Greensboro where the supervisors determine the amount of the raise each employee receives within the parameters set by the city.
The City Council directed Parrish to include a 2 percent cost of living increase for city employees in the budget the City Council plans to pass at its meeting on Tuesday, June 16, but Hightower never stopped talking about 3 percent and she might get it.
That’s right folks. Many here have lost their jobs, or are working for less. No one at the city has lost a paycheck, though, even some who are not working. The city has increased their budget for next year. Can you say “that ain’t all folks”.
Miller, we agree, thanks for sharing the sad TRUTH.
According to BLS from April 2019 to April 2020 for Southern Urban areas the cost went down
Dead right, Doug. Keep up the good work in Oak Ridge!
Some of us are paying attention.
The Parasite Sector never faces economic reality. The just leech off The Productive Sector.
There is no limit to the greed and duplicity of government. “Some employees want 3%” whines Hightower. I BET THEY DO. But…. If the Greensboro City Council wants to award a “cost of living” adjustment to their empolyees, then I heartily agree. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics recorded inflation at minus 0.1% year-on-year for May 2020..
I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING GREENSBORO EMPLOYEES RECEIVING A 0.1% PAY CUT.
we really do need a sense of humor. I am somewhat lacking in the political arena, but I try…….
Ya’ll we don’t get paid fair market value for these positions. Don’t let the elite at the top fool you. The merit increase system allowed Management to reward themselves with 5-10% increases while those of us that actually do the work have the rest divided as management saw fit… AKA merit increase. translates to I’ll take care of myself and my buddies. Cost of Living increase will be the first increase many, many employees have seen in years… Ask for information on how the City in the past has distributed that 2.5% increase. WE DON’T ALL GET INCREASES EVERY YEAR, even though Y’ALL report that we do… It’s a messed up system that allows for discrimination on all levels. And we should be glad we have a job.
You get paid WAY more than fair market value for your “work”, buddy. Or why aren’t you working in the free market private sector then, where most of us have been economically devastated thos year? And you receive obsecenely generous health care, benefits and retirement packages on top of your job security and comfy sinecure.
You people disgust me.
Get a job!
A real one, in the private sector.
I worked for county government for over 30 yrs., and i remember not getting a cola raise on several different occasions, especially 2008 to 2013. After this it was mainly merit raises that you had to earn every year with a good evaluation. There were some lay-offs also. We were told again and again to “do more with less almost every year”. Also these raises should not be across the board. The fairest way to give raises is to give to employees making below 50,000 a year, not to dept. chairs and supervisors making a lot more. Council woman Hightower should have known this. Giving 2% to people making 50,000 is a lot less than giving the same 2% to someone making 75,000 to 100,000 a year. Their are many extra perks that supervisors and dept. managers get that average employees don’t get. It is just not fair to give upper management the same percentage. Guilford county did this one year and employees though it was very fair. I am very stunned that a cola raise was even considered with the tax revenue probably going to be falling everywhere. Liberal city council has lost their minds! Merit raises should be enough in these times. No cola for employees this budget year, maybe next year if revenues recover.