City councilmembers made some bizarre statements in justifying their votes for the largest tax increase in the history of Greensboro and an enormous 2022-2023 budget that increases city spending by over 10 percent.
At the Tuesday, June 21 City Council meeting, where the City Council passed by a 7-2 vote the $688 million budget that included an 8.69-cent tax increase, those voting for the budget took great liberties with the facts in an effort to explain their votes.
District 5 City Councilmember Tammi Thurm went into a lengthy tirade about how underpaid city employees were and had been for years.
She said, “I worked with staff and council on this budget where we are paying for a decade of not doing the right thing with our staff.”
She added, “We have been underpaying staff for a long, long time.”
However, that is the opposite of what Greensboro Human Resources Director Jamiah Waterman told the City Council in the work session on city employee compensation. According to that report, “89 of 124 benchmark jobs are at or above market.
“24 of 124 benchmark jobs are less than 10 percent below market (3 of 24 are in Police)
“10 of 124 benchmark jobs are more than 10% below market (7 of 10 are in Fire)”
According to that report, the vast majority of city employees are being paid the same or more than their peers in other cities, but Greensboro is underpaying the employees in the public safety sector which should be no surprise.
The report from the city’s own Human Resources Department refutes what Thurm said about compensation for city employees.
District 4 City Councilmember Nancy Hoffmann said that the City Council had to consider the budget “in its totality. We can’t pick and choose.”
But at the meeting, the City Council made five amendments to the budget. The City Council voted to add funding for three additional nonprofits. The council also voted to remove the funding for Cure Violence from the budget and then voted to add it back to the budget.
The City Council has the power to add or subtract anything it wants from the budget and it proved that by doing it at the very meeting that Hoffmann said couldn’t be done.
89 of 124 benchmark jobs are at or above market.
24 of 124 benchmark jobs are less than 10 percent below market (3 of 24 are in Police)
10 of 124 benchmark jobs are more than 10% below market (7 of 10 are in Fire)
Is the comparison the salary range of the jobs, or is that the average or median salaries of paid to employees? That makes a big difference. I’d recommend you ask for the actual average and median salaries paid in relation to the stats above.
i also have bizarre statements, if anyone is interested . . . ?
Me, me, me!
I’m gone. Good God Almighty, I’m gone
Uh yes Nancy Hoffman in a budget, just like a household budget, you pick and choose. Right now I’m choosing food and gas. What an idiot. I guess she has never had to run a real life budget.
What are the names of the nonprofits receiving taxpayer money and the amount each nonprofit will receive? Please publish, Mr. Hammer.
Nonprofits are not audited. How does the city know how each nonprofit is spending the money? Short answer, the city doesn’t. That should change.
The Forge is housed in an Andy Zimmerman building. Just a new way to funnel him money.
I’m curious about the 7 who voted for the budget. All of you saw fit to vote to add the
75k of taxpayer dollars for magnolia house. I’d like to see a tally of the ones who have personally wrote a check to that non profit. So please respond and be counted. It’s easy to give away money that’s not yours so why not put your checkbook where your mouth is and show us you’ve personally donated. Anyone willing to bet not one of the 7 has
Id like to see receipts of any of their charitable giving.
All are disgusting. You still have time to use your vote wisely.
This is the biggest bunch of thieves this city has ever seen….. how do these people sleep at night knowing how they are stealing from every citizen. Karma is going to catch up with all of you sooner than you think.
Non-truthful, lack of facts, Anti -police councilwoman Thurm needs to be voted out! Vote Wilkins in!
Once again city council is providing hundreds of thousands of our tax dollars to councilwoman Yvonne Johnson with no accountability to this non- proven effective cure for violence program. If it is worth the money shy does Councilwoman Johnson state the facts of the success of the program. As a tax paying citizen of Greensboro, do I not have the right to know how the money provided yo programs is being used and the effectiveness of the program?
I may make a bizarre statement if I’m elected back to Council, but it won’t be to justify a record breaking tax increase. Tammi has voted to extract $42,000,000 over two tax increases from our community in three years, while voting to deny our police officers federal grant money. We can’t afford another four years of her. Vote Tony Wilkins Greensboro City Council District 5.
Comparing them to peers (I assume that means other public positions of like roles) isn’t the best comparison. It is private sector roles that they have to compete against. Private sector large corporations pay cash bonuses (10-15% to front line staff), have increased comp well above minimum wage years ago to compete for good talent.
Consider write-in candidate Chris Meadows for Mayor! Commenters are asking people to vote but the current candidates are part of the problem and currently in office. We need change now!
Please make sure you repeat his name for write-in candidate a month to Election Day.
We need to hear what Mr. MEADOWS will do while elected to the office of Mayor. We need a leader, someone who is not afraid of any council member, listen to what we the citizens of Greensboro require, ( more police, better equipment and cutting the special interest groups that have proven to have failed ( wasting our tax dollars) ie:”cure for violence “, demand that money be returned to the citizens of Greensboro, cut taxes and assistance for those who are working 2-3 jobs just to make ends meet,
Consider write-in candidate Chris Meadows for Mayor! Commenters are asking people to vote but the current candidates are part of the problem and currently in office. We need change now!