Providence Mayor, Council Square Off on Raises in Budget
Thursday, August 05, 2010
Cicilline’s proposed budget for 2011 includes raises of about 2 percent to nearly 15 percent for 31 senior managers and other city staff and 23 new positions, according to data provided to GoLocalProv by Internal City Auditor James Lombardi, who is appointed by the city council.
John Igliozzi, chairman of the finance committee for the city council, denounced the raises and new positions as inappropriate and irresponsible. “Everybody else in the state and the country is decreasing their workforce, cutting pay, doing furloughs and here is this Mayor putting forth job increases and pay raises,” Igliozzi said. “It’s just another example of how irresponsible they are financially.”
Cicilline’s administration flat-out denies the charge.
“The Mayor is absolutely not proposing wage increases for anyone; in fact, there has been a wage freeze in place for some time,” said Karen Watts, a spokeswoman for Cicilline. “The compensation ordinance submitted on April 30 simply proposes an adjustment in the salary ranges for police and fire management personnel across both departments for the future. Not now, the future.”
But the data compiled by Lombardi shows clear increases in the salary ranges for 2011. For example, one police major on Lombardi’s list earned $101,674 in 2010. In 2011, his salary could range from a low of $110,385 to as much as $116,455, an increase of $14,781 or 14.54 percent, according to Lombardi.
Of the 31 staff due for raises, 15 of them are firefighter union positions whose pay is being raised according to an arbitration agreement and the two new contracts Cicilline has negotiated with the union, according to Richard Kerbel, Director of Administration for Cicilline.
As a result of the arbitration order and the two contracts, those 15 union firefighters will all be receiving 9.29 percent raises in the 2011 budget Cicilline has proposed, according to Lombardi.
The Mayor’s office also claimed that the number of new jobs was exaggerated. Of the 23 new positions Lombardi said Cicilline wanted to create, at least eight are funded through grants. Nine of the new positions are actually just changes in titles for existing positions, according to Kerbel.
“These title changes reflect the merger of the Parks and Recreation Department, some changes for consistency and different responsibilities in the Planning Department and one change reflecting new responsibilities in the Inspections and Standards Department,” Kerbel said.
He said one new position in the Parks Department and one in the Finance Department reflected the “needs of the organization.”
Both the city council and Cicilline also disagree on the magnitude of the deficit the city is facing in 2011. Kerbel says the city has a gap of $29 million, due to a loss in state funding, but Igliozzi said the deficit was actually $41 million. The total budget proposed for 2011 is $639 million, a 3 percent increase over the $617.9 million budget the city had for 2010.
Last week, the council approved a hike in the city property tax rates, ensuring it will receive 3 percent more in revenue. But the council did not tackle the appropriations side of the budget. During August, Igliozzi said he would be working with Lombardi to find cuts in the budget. “We’re in the process right now of taking out the red pen and cutting his budget proposal,” Igliozzi said.
But at this early juncture he was certain of two things that would be cut—the raises and new positions. “Those pay raises and the jobs won’t be in the next budget,” he said.
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Comments:
ed curtis
7:18am on Thursday, August 05, 2010
Where's the "Fact Check" people?
*crickets*
Since Pravda err.. the ProJo is in the tank for lil Davey, you'll never see them call him out as a LIAR.
It's not quite Halloween but here's a very scary item. "Congressman Cicilline".
Argh - Stop the madness Rhode Island and get rid of these liberals.
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Jesse Tuggle
7:38am on Thursday, August 05, 2010
Sounds like more sour grapes from Igliozzi and Lombardi after seeing the tax levy push blow up in their faces. When are they going to learn that we just want to see some honest leadership in the City Council, not more partisan quarreling?
Henry Thompson
9:48am on Thursday, August 05, 2010
Even the title of this article is misleading. These changes from the mayors office are clearly marginal. What we are really seeing here is the desire of city councilmen to get publicity in an election season. The leader is leaving office and people have someone at whom they can point fingers. This bickering should be stopped and they should work together for the common goal of responsible, reasonable budgeting, which the mayor has shown he is capable of doing.
William Richter
9:59am on Thursday, August 05, 2010
As to- "Argh - Stop the madness Rhode Island and get rid of these liberals." I'm sorry, but you are in one of the most liberal states in the country, look at the numbers from the last presidential election, we are the one's pushing the country forward! It's amazing how many of these criticisms seem to be fear-based and unfounded in facts. Let's do politics with our brains a little bit and assess candidates for real records, ethicality and political skills.
ed curtis
10:14am on Thursday, August 05, 2010
"I’m sorry, but you are in one of the most liberal states in the country, look at the numbers from the last presidential election, we are the one’s pushing the country forward! It’s amazing how many of these criticisms seem to be fear-based and unfounded in facts. Let’s do politics with our brains a little bit and assess candidates for real records, ethicality and political skills."
Numbers? Facts? Easy ... Huge debt, 10%+ real unemployment, union control, bail outs, corrupt Congress, failed stimulus, wasting taxpayer money, uncontrolled spending ... all in the past 20 months!
Sure, great direction these liberals are taking us. Cicilline will just add to the chaos in DC since he'll be just another "yes-man" for Obama, just as Langevin and Kennedy were.
As Botox Pelosi said, "Drain the swamp" but it starts by voting in fiscal conservative, not more Progressives.
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