This is no time for a pay raise

Who asks for a pay raise in an election year? Well, it could be that your county commission may come hat in hand, amid 10.6 percent unemployment in Warren County, and order their own pay raise.

Under a proposed amendment to the pay scale, commissioners may soon vote on a measure which would increase their annual pay from around $3,495 to $5,425. That?s a total increase to you the taxpayers of $46,320 per year. I would hope, however, such a move would be voted down by the commission out of common decency.

I could care less they haven?t had a pay increase in 16 years. It was just a couple of years ago they cut their jobs in half by ending their monthly meetings while keeping the same pay. Seems like right there would be the mother of all pay increases when you meet half as much but receive the same pay as before. It?d be like me deciding tomorrow to get paid for 40 hours work while only working 20 hours and then clamoring about getting a large-scale pay increase.

Somehow I don?t think that would fly too well down here. And, if I persisted, I think I?d be hitting the bricks looking for a new job pretty soon. It should be the same with the county commission.

Should they vote themselves a raise this year, especially given the economic climate and the fact teachers will likely be turned down for a raise this year, I think each commissioner who votes for such as raise should be voted out on that issue alone, I don?t care if they hung the moon otherwise.

Frankly, I thought they were joking when I first heard about this idea. After all, who votes a pay raise during an election year? Even Congress is smarter than that. But then, this is Warren County where truth is far stranger than fiction. And, it?s the county commission where there?s more drama than the season-ending episode of ?Desperate Housewives.?

It?s not like these guys are having to sing for their supper. Our commission is already sitting pretty, making more than a large number of commissions in the state. Plus, our commissioners get retirement and health insurance. This means they are among only 16 of the state?s 95 counties who get these fringe benefits.

Hey, if these guys need the money that bad then perhaps they need to get better paying day jobs. Don?t give me this dribble about ?wanting to help people? when you ask for their vote when in the next sentence you?re helping yourself to a large pay raise while people are losing their jobs left and right.

If they want a pay raise that bad, do what I suggested, in part, months ago. Cut the commission in half and operate on the same budget. This would effectively double the pay of each sitting commissioner without costing us any more. Of course, a giving commission would simply cut their number by half and return the remaining money to the county to help offset the insanely high insurance premiums our county employees pay.

But, even an optimist knows this will never happen seeing most commissioners apparently don?t think they would be the one candidate their district would pick if the number was cut in half. Hopefully this measure will die for lack of a second. If it doesn?t, flock to the polls in the your district and show them who is boss.

Duane Sherrill is a reporter for the Standard. He can be reached at 473-2191 or by e-mail at [email protected].