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The following are some salary and benefit comparables from a few divisions within our city that were presented at Tuesday night's Budget meeting. I would imagine that all divisions probably look similar. Being employed by the City of Lake Worth is not too shabby considering the retirement and other benefits are anywhere from 50% to 62% of their salary.
In the private sector, you are lucky to get a retirement today. Most corporations have eliminated retirement benefits and have gone to 401(k's) matching about 3%, the most common matching program. The “50% of the first 6%” this states that once the employee reaches contributions that is
equal to 6% of their gross pay, the
employer’s contributions stop until the following year.
Twenty-one employees were honored in the city's latest newsletter for their years of service ranging from 20 years on up to 33 years. Congratulations to them all. The only people under-paid, an under-statement, are our city commissioners.
This is brought to your attention to better understand the biggest challenge we face--salaries, along with the growing expense of medical, retirement and other benefits. The taxpayers, many of whom do not receive an employer matching dollar amount towards their retirement, are paying lucrative benefits to municipal employees. It's no wonder they complain about pot holes and their neighborhoods going to blight.
Water treatment
Salaries & Wages $1,129,344--- Benefits $630,271--- 56%
Water Transmission Distribution
Salaries & Wages $493,474---
Benefits $306,006--- 62%
Local Sewer-Pumping
Salaries & Wages $195,196---
Benefits $97,975--- 50%
Local sewer-Collection
Salaries & Wages $504,060---
Benefits $312,948--- 62%
Regional Sewer-Pumping
Salaries & Wages $136,046---
Benefits $80,627--- 59%
Stormwater Fund
Salaries & Wages $362,776---
Benefits---$225,434--- 62%
Refuse Fund
Collection
Disposal
Salaries & Wages $1,255,269---
Benefits $762,325--- 61%
Residential collection
Salaries & Wages $672,354---
Benefits $419,790--- 62%
Commercial collection
Salaries & Wages $264,571---
Benefits $142,299--- 54%
Roll-offs
Salaries & Wages $93,977---
Benefits---$59,101--- 63%
9 comments:
Wow, this is unbelievable. We pay 50 cents on every dollar or more for employee benefits?
Not only that, unless they screw up royally, you can't even fire them for being inept, etc.
Now can see why people want govt jobs, good salaries, good benifits, job security. Used to be fair salaries and decent benefits.
Your blog on the pension cost is another example of no leadership from City Hall. The Manager style avoid problems by acting as the Town Jester.
When we pay 62% or 62 cents for every $1.00 in salary and we are approaching $90 million in unfunded debt in our pensions, it is time for serious talk and plans to resolving this mess.
Under the years beginning with Boyer, we have lost our police, fire, trolley, pool, employees,our library hours, shuffle board courts, card playing rooms, meeting rooms, parking places at the beach, chamber of commerce, and etc.
It is time to address problems if we are to turn this City around.Not to avoid problems and fail to come up with solutions.
When we have elected and appointed City Officials who won't or don't return telephone calls, the result are slums, volunteer people to work and man City Hall, records destroyed and people who back down to every threat of a law suit.
Delayed problems don't go away. The trailers parked on Dixie Highway at the Charter School and the enforcement of our City Code has taken too much time.
The temporary home rentals and not making the decision to enforce our present laws has also taken too much time.
The Tom Smith property has taken years of time with no decision.
TOO MUCH TIME .
They were hired and elected to enforce our laws and make decisions.
The time to act is now, If you can't make the decisions then step aside and let someone else do it.
We need leaders.
I don't think they're underpaid. This commission isn't like previous commissions who spent countless hours cleaning up the organization. These people barely spend any time at city hall and can't wait to end their meetings early. They're lazy, except for the mayor.
Good point on the commission salary.
Anyone in Utilities hired gets topped out in their salary position within 2 years, provided on their EVALUATION score.
In public services back in 2001 they did a pay study and found most all the positions were WAY underpaid by the national and local standards. So the people who worked 10 years got screwed when a new worker was hired, the new employee was hired at a much higher rate almost the same as someone hired new in some cases.
A garbage man can make $14 an hour for the rest of his life! They haven't given any raises since 2009
and lost benefits of Longevity and some personal holiday and birthdays. Raised to the 30 year retirement system with the calculator from 3% cut in half to 1.5%
So it's been take take take away, do more with less help.
Still complaining?
Thank you.
This is really a problem for almost every city budget. More and more of the budget goes to personnel costs, including retired personnel costs, and there are less and less dollars for actual services.
And no I don't get a match for my retirement savings, every dollar I put away is a dollar I put away.
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