YONKERS TRIBUNE: The lowest paid Yonkers City Councilmember earns a base pay of $38,500 each. Last Tuesday they held a Rules Committee Meeting during which they rationalized that a $49,000 base pay was appropriate.
HEZI ARIS: The political “spin” and rationalization for the suggested increase is explained to be appropriate by noting that there has been no pay increase for the past 12 years. Please note that each member of the Yonkers City Council hold a part-time job, allowing each to be also employed elsewhere; only one is retired, the others all have a second job.
Were one to consider how many days was demanded of each councilmember to attend a Yonkers City Council function, it is unlikely they would attend even 30 days throughout any given year. Each councilmember has at minimum one aide, the majority and minority leaders each have two aides, and the Yonkers City Council President has a minimum of at least three aides.
Councilmembers’ filled calendar events are part of garnering support and votes; the councilmembers need not attend such functions to conduct the business of governance. Yet the Legislative branch is set to increase their respective salaries as they deem proper without public input. Each intends to approve their salary / benefits increases irrespective of the public’s interests or their sensibilities.
The councilmembers are intent to pass this legislation during the last days of December. In fact, it would be considerate and transparent to present the entire issue before the public in a future referendum instead of deciding to do so on their own. The proposal will be voted upon this Tuesday, December 8, 2015.
HEZI ARIS: The political “spin” and rationalization for the suggested increase is explained to be appropriate by noting that there has been no pay increase for the past 12 years. Please note that each member of the Yonkers City Council hold a part-time job, allowing each to be also employed elsewhere; only one is retired, the others all have a second job.
Were one to consider how many days was demanded of each councilmember to attend a Yonkers City Council function, it is unlikely they would attend even 30 days throughout any given year. Each councilmember has at minimum one aide, the majority and minority leaders each have two aides, and the Yonkers City Council President has a minimum of at least three aides.
Councilmembers’ filled calendar events are part of garnering support and votes; the councilmembers need not attend such functions to conduct the business of governance. Yet the Legislative branch is set to increase their respective salaries as they deem proper without public input. Each intends to approve their salary / benefits increases irrespective of the public’s interests or their sensibilities.
The councilmembers are intent to pass this legislation during the last days of December. In fact, it would be considerate and transparent to present the entire issue before the public in a future referendum instead of deciding to do so on their own. The proposal will be voted upon this Tuesday, December 8, 2015.
Take the baseline pay, add the value of a Cadillac medical health insurance plan valued at approximately $30,000, to which they do not pay a penny and their remuneration is now valued at $69,000. Note that public sector employees would have to earn in excess of $30,000 to arrive at being able to pay for an equivalent health benefit plan. No Obama Care Plan for the Yonkers City Councilmembers
Then you have free, four wheel drive “trucks” that are afforded each councilmember. Were anyone to even lease such a “truck”, expect a cost of $250 after taxes per month or $3,000 per year. We have reached the threshold of $72,000 per annum. Then there there is the value of gasoline; another free benefit. Add an additional $3,000 per annum to the freebees made available to the Yonker City Council membership.
The compensation given each Yonkers City Councilmember has now reached $75,000. Let us further not forget the cost of car insurance for such a “truck”… $1,500 per year seems a fair costing. We are at the point of $76,500.
The $3,000 value of gasoline, and the value of free “truck” insurance of $1,500 together total $4,500 which is the cost after taxes. One must recognize that we are in the zone of approximately $80,000 in compensation value so far.
Now add the icing to the cake, the over $10,000 pay increase for the least paid councilmember, and we are at a yearly compensation package of $90,000 each. But there is more!!!
The compensation given each Yonkers City Councilmember has now reached $75,000. Let us further not forget the cost of car insurance for such a “truck”… $1,500 per year seems a fair costing. We are at the point of $76,500.
The $3,000 value of gasoline, and the value of free “truck” insurance of $1,500 together total $4,500 which is the cost after taxes. One must recognize that we are in the zone of approximately $80,000 in compensation value so far.
Now add the icing to the cake, the over $10,000 pay increase for the least paid councilmember, and we are at a yearly compensation package of $90,000 each. But there is more!!!
The largest aspect of their respective remuneration / compensation benefits package is the pension plan that is based on full-time employment, not the part-time basis required of them. So we now stand at $90,000 plus retirement pension bringing each to pulling over $100,000 each.
Were their proposed pay increase to be adopted unanimously with a 7 – 0 vote, their total remuneration / salary would be valued at $100,000 plus for four councilmembers; $110,000 plus each for the majority and minority leaders, and $120,000 per annum for the Yonkers City Council President. This is not chump change by any stretch of the imagination for a part-time gig.
Were their proposed pay increase to be adopted unanimously with a 7 – 0 vote, their total remuneration / salary would be valued at $100,000 plus for four councilmembers; $110,000 plus each for the majority and minority leaders, and $120,000 per annum for the Yonkers City Council President. This is not chump change by any stretch of the imagination for a part-time gig.
Please do not dismiss the heavy lifting and responsibility undertaken by the aides to each of the elected councilmembers; they conduct the work of constituent services and everything else other than casting their vote and participating in photo-ops . Too often the public believes the councilmembers are involved, instead they are too often unaware of the issue(s), much less the concerns......
http://www.yonkerstribune.com/2015/12/hezitorial-exclusive
http://www.yonkerstribune.com/2015/12/hezitorial-exclusive
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