Taxpayers Should Get Break, Too
By the News-RegisterThe overwhelming majority of Wheeling city employees work hard and provide good services to our community. We doubt that many of the taxpayers they serve object to City Council's proposal to grant each worker a $400 "wage adjustment."
By rewarding city employees through a one-time payment, council members avoid the pitfall that all too many local and state governments fall into - of granting permanent pay increases when resources are plentiful. When that is done, government entities can find themselves having to make painful cutbacks when revenue lags, as may be the case for Wheeling during the next few years. The alternative to that is to increase taxes to cover ongoing expenses.
Still, council's plan raises questions. One involves its legality. Initially, the idea was to grant workers a "bonus." But state Managing Deputy Attorney General Silas Taylor has told our reporter that payment of bonuses to government employees, for work already done, is illegal. Now, of course, the term "bonus" has been abandoned in favor of "wage adjustment." We wonder whether a simple change in terminology will be enough to eliminate the issue of legality.
Another concern involves the pool of money to be used to pay the "wage adjustments." City Manager Robert Herron has said funds for the 407 payments of $400 each will come from $162,800 already in the municipal budget. That money was included to cover wages and salaries for 16 positions that are vacant now.
That may be a risky proposition - unless city officials have no plans to fill the 16 vacant positions.
But if they do not, the question of why money for them was included in the budget arises.
Council members may decide the 16 positions should be left vacant - not a bad idea, in view of the fact that Wheeling's population has decreased substantially during the past decade or so. If they do that, the $162,800 that then would be unneeded should be eliminated from the next city budget. That would give taxpayers a break - and they, too, richly deserve one.
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GETACLUE
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01-06-09 7:03 PM
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A box of candy!!!!!! That is EXACTLY how TRICKLE DOWN ECONOMICS WORKS!!!!
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TruthSeeker
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01-06-09 7:01 PM
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wonder: Sugarless candy would do the trick for a lot of employees at Ogden. I'd say at least 50% of them are overweight.
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wonderwhy
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01-06-09 5:36 PM
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Katy- that would be par for you. the ogden press spreading the wealth by giving a box a candy. wonder if they give diabetics candy? sort of like giving someone a pack of cigs even if they have emphysema
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WVEXPAT
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01-06-09 1:16 PM
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I believe KATY's style is one of eloquent satire!
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ConservativeKaty
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01-06-09 1:11 PM
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I am not from Oz. Disagreement with overseer’s post is “in toto.” * For a large staff, Christmas candy is a thoughtful and adequate holiday bonus. This newspaper’s kings retain their crowns, in my copy of the Good Book.
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overseerer
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01-06-09 10:46 AM
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I was right the first time, ConservativeKaty does really live in the "Land of OZ", she proved me right with her last post, she would fit right in with our congressmen and senators.
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susanTtalker
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01-06-09 7:37 AM
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Oh, God, Katy, are you for real? Does it take you a long time to write your sillinesses, and do you giggle the whole time you're doing it? P.S., not all Ogden employees are "blue collar" but not all are white collar, either. While the reporters and editors are college-educated, there are several workers in the pressrooms that you could consider blue collar.
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ConservativeKaty
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01-05-09 11:01 PM
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It is fitting that Wheeling will consider the resolution of holiday bonuses to its employees on January 6, or Three Kings Day – The Coming of the Magi bearing gifts – in the Christian religion. The word “epiphany” is also associated with this, and it is the source for why Christians give gifts at this time of year. Salvation comes to the kings who give. Certainly the kings of this newspaper gave a token Christmas bonus, because the bonus is not really to those who receive but to those who give, however modestly, from their riches. It is a token to the Lord – a Lord loudly proclaimed in so many fine editorials just a few days ago. This is a day when conservatives are liberal – not to others, really, but for themselves, for their very souls, and for the Kingdom of God. Here’s to all wise men (and women), to all kings who guard our Christian values, to the modern-day Magi – with epiphanies every day in Wheeling, at this paper, and the world over.
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TruthSeeker
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01-05-09 6:08 PM
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No one that I know ever got a Christmas bonus working for Ogden.
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wv26003
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01-05-09 3:14 PM
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Blue-collar staff? If I recall correctly, in order to be a staff writer at this publication, you must have a college degree. And I'm not all too familiar with any instance in which this newspaper provided its employees with a Christmas bonus. I believe I heard about a gift card ONCE. But Katy makes a good point --- maybe this newspaper only opposes city employees receiving an end-of-year bonus because it doesn't provide one to its employees.
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ConservativeKaty
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01-05-09 11:23 AM
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Compromise: Give each employee just $100. That is a usual Christmas bonus for a rank-and-file worker. Ask the AG what to call it to make it legal, and be done with it. Put the balance in fund reserve, as it will be needed in the next few years for sure. I would be surprised if this paper gave its blue-collar staff any other amount than about $100 for Christmas this year -- someone let me know if they know the exact figure. This paper did a good job in helping the city not do something illegal. No one should be angry at them for that.
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wv26003
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01-05-09 11:04 AM
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Does anyone else agree that there's a very good reason why Mike Myer is NOT an elected official in the City of Wheeling?
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