As many of you probably know, there is a huge public outcry against proposed stipend increases for County Legislators. If approved, these increases go to legislators in leadership positions and chairs of committees, and total in excess of $100,000. Tomorrow (Monday, Dec. 17 at 2pm) is the vote.
I will be voting NO. I oppose these stipend increases.
Below is an op-ed published in yesterday's The Journal News supported by the 6 Republican County Legislators. I helped draft this op-ed, which sets forth the reasons why we will all be opposing the stipend increases.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about this issue.
Jim Maisano
County Legislator
JimM1997@aol.com
December 15, 2007
Op-Ed in the The Journal News
The Republican members of the Westchester County Board of Legislators wish to add their voices to the recent outcry regarding the proposal to increase stipends for our members. This comes, of course, on the heels of our strong objection and negative vote on the recently enacted 2008 county budget. It is our sincere hope that taxpayers would be just as outraged about the ever-increasing property tax burden that has been hoisted upon them by County Executive Andrew Spano (who, too, is seeking a pay raise) and the Democratic members of our board.
The 2008 budget once again raises property taxes. (Under the spending plan approved Monday, the proposed increase in the property tax levy - the total amount of money collected by the county through property taxes - was lowered to 3.89 percent from the 4.7 percent figure contained in Spano's budget plan. - Editor)
Since 2000 the real property taxes in Westchester have increased 54 percent, while the cost of living for the New York metropolitan area increased by 26 percent. The Republican legislators put forth a budget plan with significant spending cuts. If it had been approved, Westchester taxpayers would have seen a tax increase below 1 percent. We also put together a spending reduction plan for the 2007 budget that could have resulted in a "0 percent" tax increase - all this without drastically affecting any programs or services.
At a time when technology and innovation is affording many to produce more with less, the Spano administration has seen fit to increase the county bureaucracy by 8 percent. In just the last three years, 318 new positions were added to the county bureaucracy. These new and unnecessary jobs added more than $20 million to the 2008 budget. With generous health-care benefits and pension payments, each new government position adds not just salary but an additional 50 percent of salary to be budgeted for fringe benefits. We all recall County Executive Spano calling pension payments an "unfunded mandate." While it is true the state mandates that the county make payments to the pension system, the state did not mandate adding 300 new positions.
A
s
for these troubling stipends: the Republican
legislators object to the magnitude of the increase for
the chairman and other leadership positions. We also
object that this proposal was forced on the board at
the last minute, in the middle of the budget process
and with little input from the legislators or the
general public. The chairman's stipend was increased
substantially just two years ago. At the time of the
last two salary adjustments (1999 and 2005), the
Republican legislators proposed reconstituting or
strengthening the Committee for Fair Compensation, so
that members of the private sector could judge and
recommend salary adjustments - if any. The county code
actually includes a provision for such a group. Twice
within two years, pay raises were enacted or proposed
without any regard to this legal requirement.
Our proposal would have improved this committee. It outlines specific criteria for determining the circumstances for any raise and sets a strict deadline for action: one that requires legislators to vote on raises prior to an election, not after. The committee itself would be comprised of private citizens. There is a requirement for public hearings.
It is difficult to measure objectively your own salary increments. In the real world, most people do not have the luxury of setting and raising their own salaries. In most business settings, employees are objectively reviewed by superiors to evaluate pay increases. And if the employee is unhappy there is always the option of going to work somewhere else. Certainly, the county legislators and county executive are not self-employed; they are employed by the taxpayers. It is only fair that the taxpaying public have much more to say about any increase in compensation. We must remind our colleagues that it is an honor to serve as a county legislator. This is public service - not a place to pad your income. All candidates knew the salary when running for our seats in the 2007 elections, and if someone did not like the salary, then he or she should not have run for this honorable office.
Despite our calls to employ and improve this committee twice in the last six years, nothing was done. Now the board faces the justifiable outrage of taxpayers who feel the stipend increase was done in the dark of night, with no public input and without regard to any standards or benchmarks. As usual, the taxpayers are right, and we are happy to see this public outcry to this blatant money grab for politicians. You can count on the Republican legislators to vote and fight against the stipend proposal.
T
Our proposal would have improved this committee. It outlines specific criteria for determining the circumstances for any raise and sets a strict deadline for action: one that requires legislators to vote on raises prior to an election, not after. The committee itself would be comprised of private citizens. There is a requirement for public hearings.
It is difficult to measure objectively your own salary increments. In the real world, most people do not have the luxury of setting and raising their own salaries. In most business settings, employees are objectively reviewed by superiors to evaluate pay increases. And if the employee is unhappy there is always the option of going to work somewhere else. Certainly, the county legislators and county executive are not self-employed; they are employed by the taxpayers. It is only fair that the taxpaying public have much more to say about any increase in compensation. We must remind our colleagues that it is an honor to serve as a county legislator. This is public service - not a place to pad your income. All candidates knew the salary when running for our seats in the 2007 elections, and if someone did not like the salary, then he or she should not have run for this honorable office.
Despite our calls to employ and improve this committee twice in the last six years, nothing was done. Now the board faces the justifiable outrage of taxpayers who feel the stipend increase was done in the dark of night, with no public input and without regard to any standards or benchmarks. As usual, the taxpayers are right, and we are happy to see this public outcry to this blatant money grab for politicians. You can count on the Republican legislators to vote and fight against the stipend proposal.
T