While Mayor Carty Finkbeiner's administration has been mulling over whether to lay off employees to fix Toledo's looming budget deficit, City Council members have been giving their administrative staff double-digit percentage point raises.
Council last month enacted pay raises for its six legislative aides, who are nonunion city employees responsible for assisting council members with correspondence, research, and clerical tasks.
The bump pushed the annual salaries of four workers to $45,289 from $38,613 - a 17 percent increase. One worker went to $45,289 a year from $32,818, a 38 percent raise.
The most senior legislative aide, with the city for more than 30 years, saw her salary rise to $47,282 a year from $40,175.
Most of the aides jumped pay classifications and job titles from Administrative Technician 1 to Administrative Technician 2.
Council President Mark Sobczak led the push for the raises, which required only a majority consensus of council members and not a formal vote.
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080905/NEWS16/809050370
Living in Toledo is becoming more like the Land of Oz every day.
"Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain".
Whatever happened to the idea of corrective action in the face of budget deficit ?
pay the admin's more and fire the at large council people.
it isn't real money and it certainly isn't their money. What I cannot figure out is why all those folks that are paying Toledo taxes don't wise up and elect people who are not related to an existing official or one who ever served in Toledo.
I would seriously be interested in knowing what the duties of the "aides" are.
City Councilman is a full-time position now correct? Chances are the aides do mostly things that the councilmen should be doing.
It sort of reminds me of how it seems every time city council has to make a big decision, they spend a bunch of our money to hire a consultant. Isn't decision making what we elect them for? Hell, if you hire someone else to make your decisions for you, who needs qualifications to get elected?
"We're all riding on the Hindenburg, no sense fighting over the window seats"-Richard Jenni