NORWICH - Last week, first term Supervisor Fred J. Heisler, Jr. came closer than any county board member has before in an attempt to freeze annual salary increases for supervisors.
The Smithville representative said he would rather give his 2.5 percent raise to programs that help recovering addicts. He confessed that all seven newcomers to county government had “essentially been in training for a few months” since taking office in January, and didn’t deserve raises next year.
But neither did the trick; after a roll call vote, his proposed amendment to the 2013 compensation schedule failed to carry the weighted majority by 43 votes.
Raises for non-union government employees, particularly supervisors, is arguably the most hotly debated topic that the Chenango County Board of Supervisors address during budget-making time each year. This year marks the first that veteran Supervisor Peter C. Flanagan did not lead the charge against supervisors’ raises. The Preston Democrat, saying he wanted to “lead from the top” and “show a sacrifice whether it’s a token one or not,” has received more and more bi-partisan support over the years, and two years ago, narrowly missed slashing increases by 45 votes. Last year, a vote for Flanagan’s freeze was stalled and put off for another month after failing to reach a majority.
Nonetheless, the 2103 comp schedule awarded 2.5 raises to department directors and supervisors across the board. The decision also involved a 20 minute discussion in executive session during which three specific employees’ salaries and proposed raises were debated. The comp schedule specified only 1.5 percent raises for those earning in excess of $100,000, but the supervisor from Pitcher, Jeffrey Blanchard, moved to amend the amount to be on par with all at 2.5 percent. The three are: The county attorney and two pyschiatrists who serve Mental Hygiene Services Department clients.
For 2012, the comp schedule wage increases were 2.0 percent. In 2011, they were 1.5 percent. A recently negotiated contract for the Chenango County Law Enforcement Association, which awarded 3 percent increases, no doubt played a role in the higher amount for next year. In the recent past, the Civil Services Employees Association and the nurses bargaining units awarded from 3 to 4.5 percent increases.
“We can’t be giving pay raises to union people, and let their salaries surpass the management people,” said Chenango County Board of Supervisors Chairman Lawrence Wilcox. “The (department) directors on the compensation schedule are the people we depend on for the management of Chenango County. The board always keeps them in our eyes... we depend on them day to day.”
When making his motion, Heisler said, “I’m not opposed to increases in salaries, even in bad economic times when people have earned a raise ... but for the (seven) of us, I think that sends a bad message.”
“There are better ways to spend that money, like those two gentlemen who were here from Mental Health could use that money better than we could.” Heisler was referring to the two individuals who described their recovery from drug addiction to the board last Monday as part of proclaiming September to be Chenango County Recovery Month.
Not all of the newcomers supported Heisler’s amendment. The supervisors from Afton, Coventry and Otselic, opposed. Nonetheless, Heisler said he would “sleep well” after making the effort, and planned to forfeit his raise, as did the supervisor from Columbus, Tom Grace. Grace said he had not heard of one person in his town or any of the other towns who had asked for raises this year.
County Treasurer William Craine said the compensation schedule would total $5,062,000 based on preliminary figures from the county’s personnel office.