Letter to the Editor: Salinas city council lacks authority to control costs
Stephen Kennedy says a ballot measure approved by Salinas voters in 1998 now means higher taxes and less services.
Letter to the Editor: Salinas city council lacks authority to control costs Stephen Kennedy says a ballot measure approved by Salinas voters in 1998 now means higher taxes and less services. Check out this story on thecalifornian.com: https://www.thecalifornian.com/story/opinion/2018/05/11/letter-editor-salinas-city-council-lacks-authority-control-costs/602666002/
Stephen Kennedy, Letter to the Editor Published 10:44 a.m. PT May 11, 2018
Letter to the Editor graphic (Photo: Provided )
Salinas has a problem. A financial problem, not driven by lack of revenue, but by the city council's lack of authority to control costs.
The May 1 Salinas City Council meeting resulted in the city's firefighters union getting a $3,000 per employee lump sum payment now, a 6 percent salary increase now, and another 4 percent increase in January.
This will cost taxpayers an additional $3.2 million in this year's budget.
More: Salinas council increases wages for firefighters under threat of arbitration
The union is taking advantage of a ballot measure they wanted in 1998. It requires binding arbitration if the city and the firefighters union cannot come to an agreement on a contract. Voters approved it.
Today it means the union can make excessive demands on the city and then get an outside third party to decide how much they get.
The city council either satisfies the union with generous payouts or surrenders to an arbitrator who satisfies the union with generous payouts.
What a deal for the union! For you as a resident, it means higher taxes and less services.
Is that what city residents wanted in 1998 when they voted for this union privilege?
- Stephen Kennedy, Salinas Taxpayer's Association Board Member
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