Tuesday, November 3, 2009
By a vote of 4 to 1, commissioners tonight increased employees' share of their health insurance costs from 8% to 12 % effective January 1st, 2010.
The sole nay vote was, of course, Charlene Sears. I know, some of you are asking why did she not recuse herself given that her husband is a county employee. Come on, now. We know from past experience that Charlene is just too damned pretty and sweet to be bothered with those annoying little conventions for ugly mean people, like avoiding even the appearance of a conflict of interest. She rambled on about the unfairness of it all to the lower paid employees. She even said that now was not the time because even some of the higher paid employees had had recent medical expenses they were still trying to pay off. No - she really did. This is another example of why Charlene needs to be in front of a kindergarten class and not on a board of commissioners. Her mind is too ordinary and her heart is way too soft to do what needs to be done.
When they took the vote, it was about 10 til 7:00. There were only a few more house keeping items on the agenda so I left to get back to await the election results from Shirley Wise. I always sit in the front row where they have removed a chair for me. When I turned around to leave, I saw that the place was absolutely packed (standing room only) with employees trying one last ditch attempt to intimidate the commissioners.
Well, as I was running the gauntlet up the middle aisle, if dirty looks had been daggers, I would have been way dead. No one said anything. At least not until I got out into the hall and down to the table where the food baskets were. That's when some female ran up behind me calling my name. I stopped. This skinny, 30-something, white gal with bad teeth leaped in front of me in a very agitated state. This looked like - and proved to be - the kind of gal who would be equally at home biting and scratching over the last bag of marked-down candy corn at a November 1st blue light special or warming up the crowd at a Klan rally. She said I'm somebody or other and "I'll have you know that I read your blog and what you say about the health plan and everything you say is just a lie." There was clearly no point in trying to get in a "Pleased to meet you." She then, without catching a breath, exclaimed that what had just gone on in there was a "complete injustice." "It was all on the backs of the employees! What are the taxpayers kicking in? Nothing, that's what?" When I opened my mouth to try to remind her that even after the increase, the taxpayers would still be paying 88%, she would not let me speak. With her bony finger wagging right in my face, she yelled, "No, no no no no! Don't even go there!" That's when it dawned on me that this double-wide denizen was trying to get me to lose my temper with high hopes of seeing me in the county jail tonight. At that point, I just said "Goodnight, now"and
put my chair into motion. As I rolled off, she was taunting me with "Yeah, that's right! You go on! You get out of here!" All of this was within easy sight and earshot of the CCSO deputy at the door who did nothing. Unfortunately, it was not Jim Proctor tonight. I don't know who it was.
No, fellow taxpayers, picking up 88% of the tab is clearly just not good enough for some of them. However, I'm confident that it is a minority that the county would probably be better off without.
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17 comments:
I wish the looks had been daggers.
Just remember, for every one employee like you, there are thousands of taxpayers who appreciate my role in this vote coming to this conclusion.
Not really you fat Fuck. It will be funny to see how many of the dumbass county managers girlfriends get raises to cover this so they don't loose a penny.
You poor, ignorant, class-envious, White trash. Why don't you at least TRY to better yourself instead of wallowing in self pity and paranoia?
just remember every one of those employees and their family's have A vote in the election of a commissioner you vomitous ASS.
just remember every one of those county employees and their families have a vote for the job that you want you vomitous mass.
Glad you got that "mass / ASS" thing straightened out in your feeble mind.
Might I remind you that by attacking me - at least witrh rergards to this health premium issue, you are imndirectly attacking the thousands of voting taxpayers who agree that this adjustment was long overdue. These are the same taxpayers who will influence the BOC when it comes time to look at re-instituting COLA and doing a pay study. I, for one, am still in favor of both, in spite of a small percentage of the county employees being total asses and ingrates. I will continue to be regardless. However, that may not be the case with all taxpayers. Proceed with caution.
Jay I don't know you but you do make good points. However, I do know that everyone is in a strugle right now. The health increase was long overdue but so is a pay raise. I keep hearing the county is out of money but yet we keep spending. When I'm broke I can't write a check so why don't someone take our check book and stop the uncalled for spending. The department I work for has a high turnover rate and maybe a little more money in my wallet would ease the pain. The tax payers will have to foot the bill but that's the way it is. We need to find a happy medium and it can be done. CUT THE FAT! Look at the payroll of all employees. Is there anyway you could tell us what these people do and why their job is important. It seems like some jobs can be done without, and I don't want to see anyone lose their job but if they should not have had the job to start then sorry about your luck. Having cheap health care kinda made the pain of not having a raise easy to deal with.
jay I believe a pay study has already been done ,and your boy steve is sitting on it and keeping it quiet because administration in this county is OVERPAID.
Well, regarding the pay study, I'll ask Mr. Howard today. I doubt very seriously that anyone is overpaid. If you were present last night, you saw very professional presentations on both the employee health plan and the sheriff's options for a solution to the jail overcrowding. Staci Bowick did the slides for the health plan. Adam K (I'll get his name offf the county website in a minute) did an excellent, excellent job of preparing the spreadsheet on the jail options.It was not very long ago - to be precise, before Mr. Howard's arrival - that we did not have that kind of in-house talent. Mr. haoward has assembled an excellent admisitrative team. They all are worth every penny we pay them. In fact, we now have an administrative team which, on the whole, is way better qualified for their positions than the commissioners are, on the whole, for theirs. What we need to do now is get a team of equally capable commissioners capable of utilizing this staff to their full potential for the benefit of a growing county.
I say again, if there needs to be raise, so be it. Ditto for slight downward adjustments in the unlikely event that those are called for. COLAS should be inviolate. With respects to COLAS, for sure, and, possibly even raises, I as both a taxpayer and a possible future commissioner, would not be opposed to a tax increase of a fraction of a mill ot make those happen.
Raises or no raises, however, the ridiculously overgeneous health plan in which the employees only paid 8.06% of the total premium costs needed to be fixed years ago, much less now.
As I thought, it is Adam Kabasakalian. This is a very bright guy who will no doubt be a county manager himself in a few years, if he so desires.
jay ask staci how the TAXPAYERS helped her with her situation?
I have no idea what you are talking about and if knowing would entail an invasion of her privacy, I don't want to know.
If she earns more than you, she has put in more time than you educating herself to get to that level. Get over it and try improving your own lot.
Jay, you are so wrong on the "important positions" of the commissioners office. Over half of those people need to go. Everyone has Titles but do not do the work for the money they are paid. Go spend a whole day there and see who works. That department is a BIG WASTE OF TAX PAYERS MONEY.
Well, before I try to go hang out and observe unobserved in a candy-apple red wheelchair, why don't you tell me how many links downstream of these people you are in the chain of command.
What did you want the Deputy to do Jay? Come to your rescue? No laws were broken. Don't expect many who work for the county to lift a finger for you unless, of course, it is one of the county managers girlfriends who say thank you for the raise. When will you be running for office Jay? Here Steve Berry won't be running again. Trade one dumbass for another? Don't think so.
Love Ya you fat fuck!
Anonymous, why are you so jealous of these county manager girlfriends?
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