O.C. budget

[Deleted]

Picente unveils the new budget today. What % of a tax increase is he going to hit us over the head with this time around?

[Deleted]

If the union employees agree to a wage freeze. and non union employees also have a wage freeze and if he could cut his pay and that of every department head by 8% the tax might remain the same as this year. Hopefully he will fire at least 80 employees. All agencies need a 10% cut. And a 4 day work week would help. Keep the heat at 62 degrees and the air conditioner at 75%.

[dgriffin]

My gosh, Alan, if the county takes all of your suggestions their employees will be treated like common ordinary workers in this day and age.

[Clipper]

Rest assured that he will "fire" no one. He may lay off some, ask for some more voluntary retirements, leave positions unfilled that are vacated, but he won't fire anyone. He DOES still have the unions to contend with, and they aren't going to lay down and agree to drastic changes, even if they do agree to wage freezes and minor benefit concessions. The county needs to make some cuts at the top, where the people serve very little productive purpose to the taxpayer, such as cutting the number of legislators, slimming down management and supervisory positions and monitoring and managing other cost factors such as fuel consumption, and vehicle use. Another obvious savings would be to place county agencies in county owned buildings instead of paying rent to someone else.

It is nice to make suggestions when the effects won't be felt in our personal environment, but to put the heat at 62 is ridiculous. 68 is livable and comfortable. People would be sitting at their desks with mittens and long johns at 62 degrees. My god, most women that I know are freezing at 70.

Going to a work week that consists of 4 ten hour days would be great, but remember that many county employees provide a service to "walk in" customers in office settings. Unless it has changed since I left the area, your license plates and registrations are handled by the county. If you curtail that operation and cut it to 4 days a week, look for longer lines and disgruntled customers. If you cut the week, it is simply logical to expect to only have the service available 4 days a week, and very few taxpaying citizens want to sacrifice any personal convenience, but want costs cut. Go figure. Four days would not have such an impact on such departments as the Sheriff's Dept., public works, the sewer plant. Their scheduling could be juggled to maintain the proper manpower on each shift. Now come winter time, public works won't be able to keep the roads as clean if they have cut manpower, gone to 4 day weeks, and don't want to pay overtime. Hmmm. Something to ponder upon, when the drifts are 4 feet high across the county roads and you can't get to work.

[stoney]

My God, if it was any warmer than 62 degrees I'd be sweating!! It's easy to get warmer by adding more apparel, but it's not possible to get cooler.

They've talked about the 4-day work week before for the social services workers. I guess there was a big flap about not being there when needed which killed that idea.

[stoney]

Also, Clipster, you touched upon a good point that I've brought up before: Everybody wants the services, but don't want to pay the taxes. They can't have it both ways.

[dgriffin]

If I had to work in 62 degrees, I'd quit.

[dgriffin]

Oct 13, 2010 15:26:15 GMT -5 @stoney said:

Also, Clipster, you touched upon a good point that I've brought up before: Everybody wants the services, but don't want to pay the taxes. They can't have it both ways.

Well, give me a red pen and I'll cross out all that I don't want.

[stoney]

But some people DO want them, Dave.

[bobbbiez]

Stoney you know when it comes to cutting ya just can't make "everyone" happy.

[Clipper]

The saddest part of it all is that it is always the "worker bees" that get cut, and not the aristocracy or bureaucracy at the top.

I wonder if we get JT to crank the heat down to 62 if Stoney will lay down that whip ditch the leotard and go put some clothes on? I mean winter IS approaching.

[dgriffin]

Oct 13, 2010 16:40:08 GMT -5 @stoney said:

But some people DO want them, Dave.

Yup, and a service I don't want today, I may need tomorrow.

But it's a democracy. So how do we treat needs versus affordability.

[Deleted]

Picente asked union employess to accept a wage freeze. Which ammounts to a 3% - 4% pay cut, as their contacts are due for renewal. Did Picente ask his dept. heads to take a cut? Is he offering to cut his own salary? Is he asking the legistlators to take a cut? Of course not. It's the same old story, the rank & file are asked to sacrifice, while management is exempt from what the rank & file are asked to do. I have a suspicion that's the reason the unions didn't bow to Picente.

[Deleted]

If I can keep my place at 62 degrees, so can they work in that environment. What reall gets me is the employees who smoke. They are out there in all kind of weather puffen away. WIthout coats---if they had to put a coat on it would cut down on the time they need to smoke. I would get rid of that. No smoking on government property, period. Only in the parking lot and in their cars.
I think more needs to be cut from the new budget. 4.8% increase should be cut to a 2.4% increase. I would love to put that in action. I bet some would quit, which would automatically drive down costs.
I didn't mean a 4 hour work week at 10 hours a day. I mean a 4 hour work week at 8 hours a day. They would be paid for the day there is no work--the purpose is to save on electricity. If the workers do not like that they can get a part time job to supplement their income.
The public might have to wait in longer lines---I would have big signs that read: THIS IS YOUR TAX MONEY AT WORK, IF YOU WANT FASTER SERVICE, THEN PROPERTY TAX WILL NEED TO INCREASE FOUR FOLD
And staff needs to be cut at the 911 facility. Many of the employees are just sitting around all day taking up space and wasting valuable electricity. Either cut the staff or place them all on piece work--now there is an idea--.

[clarencebunsen]

Wow, a wage freeze equals a 3-4% wage cut, that's wild. In a time of 0% COLA (see Social Security for 2 years) how can any increase be justified without a corresponding increase in productivity?