according to yesterdays billy gunn "city notebook" (see link) column:
Alexandria's 2007-08 proposed budget includes big raises for the city's acting utility and public works directors. If passed as written, acting Utility Director Marcus Connella will receive a $7,507 [5,585 eur] raise, from $72,493 [53,931 eur] to $80,000 [59,515 eur]-- a 10.4 percent jump. Acting Public Works Director Merriell Lawson would get a $5,381 [4,003 eur] raise, from $74,619 [55,515 eur] to $80,000 -- a 7.2 percent hike.
pay raises of this magnitude especially when the city of alexandria is in the middle of a utility bill crises is unfathomable and unconscionable. now acting utility director marcus connella may or may not have anything to do with the utility bill crisis but hey hes on the hot seat and so this 10.4% pay raise is a terrible, terrible signal to send right now.the administration and the city council have had nothing but a deer in the headlights appearance ever since this crisis first began. oh sure the city council transferred about $100,000 [74,398 eur] to the shepherd center to help poorer citizens out with their utility bills but this doesnt make any sense because the city could just as easily reduced the utility bills themselves and kept the money in city coffers; earning interest - so why transfer money around when they are just going to get the money back in the first place? it would seem that this would also create a needless bookkeeping boondoggle as well as double handling issues.over on the cenla stir blog spanky writes "My, my, this month's utility bill was so high I thought it was the house payment. Get used to it until all of Alexandria is willing to do a reality check." on cenla media blog, michele godard recounts how the administration accuses the MSM of being "reckless" and are stirring the people up just because they are going out and reporting what people are saying about the utility bill crisis. ms. godard counters and rightfully so with "the population became stirred up when they received the bill in the mail..."according to the city of alexandria's website - sanitation falls under the authority of the public works department and we have seen at least two letters [here] [here] to the town talks "your mail" complaining about how the city has needlessly screwed up sanitation pickup in an area of the city of alexandria called charles park. [map] and the roy administration and the city council feel that huge pay raises are in order for those "acting" department heads? oh we get it now - they need the pay raises to pay their own utility bills.====
related posts
are communists running alexandria?alexandria city government: full of house negrosare any public officials honest?local government a mess!====
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