The staffing - or lack of staffing - at the Jackson water treatment plants is one of the main reasons Jackson is in hot water with the EPA. Crucial positions go unfilled for years while the plants fall apart due to neglect or poor maintenance. It is said it's always about the money. Well, compare two rosters.
Posted below are the salaries for the Mayor's office. The list was obtained through a public records request. It includes individuals who are obviously not employees such as the City Council. The Election Commissioners pay is set by statute. Several of the clerks work part-time.
Posted below are the salaries for the water treatment plant employees, right. Granted, the employees above are more likely to be college-educated than the ones posted below, right. However, which are more valuable?
29 comments:
Hey KF who exactly are you talking to? The people of Jackson don’t care. They don’t care that the mayor (who does absolutely nothing) makes $119k/year. They also don’t care they he has 2 office assistants. The media doesn’t care. The voters don’t care. The city council doesn’t care. So who are you trying to convince? The people who did care likely moved out of Jackson. I give you credit for trying but at some point it just becomes hopeless. Maybe you should run for city council?
While I agree that some in the office might be college educated, you have to look at scarcity. It's much easier to find someone with a general business degree to work as an administrative assistant in an office, compared to someone who is a licensed operator or technician in a surface water treatment plant. I can assure you that the latter's skills are more in demand and harder to find.
Voter turnout percentage tells you everything you need to know. From war veterans to civil rights martyrs—all for what?
When your priority is lining your pockets with kickbacks and 4 hour workdays..........................
11:22 AM
That door is fast closing. If he doesn't run in the next few cycles I doubt a Republican will be voted in even in Northeast Jackson.
The solution to all the city's water issues would be to create a public private partnership and let a third party own and maintain. In return, the city would get the plants off their books. A sensible thing to do but the swamp wants to keep control of the hiring process...or lack thereof. There are lots of things the private sector could to do to make the plants efficient. It should be noted that these types of improvements can be made WITHOUT raising water rates on residents.
https://waterfm.com/when-to-p3-new-report-examines-use-of-public-private-partnership-model-in-water/
Election commissioner's salary set by statute? Don't believe so - just because a county commissioner's salary is set by statute, and that is probably your souorce, doesn't apply to municipal commissioners. In fact, the statute allows for the municipality to transfer the duties to the county and not have any salaries to pay to a commissioner.
What kind of talent do they think they are going to recruit at those salaries? It would have to be entry-level candidates for quite a few of the positions. The US poverty level for a family of 4 is $26,500/yr.
Meanwhile, there's a loud sucking sound from the city administration.
11:53, like they did in Texas with the power grid? That sounds like a GREAT IDEA.
11:53, oh, yeah. We know how "efficient" PPP and unregulated utilities are, right? Did you fly to Cancun with Uncle Ted during the Texas power outages?
PPP means higher rates. A no-go. PPPs don't have some magical source of capital that public entities don't have. Finally, they'll DEMAND long term contracts with built in rate and tax increases. A No Go. Jackson will have declining demand, a declining tax base, and more reconstruction. This does not work.
Again, the "private sector" buying public infrastructure is never inherently more "efficient" except in achieving private profit at public expense.
I have a toll bridge in Alabaman to sell you.
Holy Sh_t! Almost $700,000 per year in salaries just for the mayor's office!!!!!
1:51PM
Then your only other option is no water.
@ 2:25
That’s just the cost of base salaries. If you factor in cost of insurance coverage and other add ins such as retirement match it’s prob over a million annually.
The City has a few shekels from the Siemens settlement, which can't hurt. The real issue will be: What happens when the thousands of people who have been getting free water for years have to start paying for it? It can't come soon enough, and had better result in higher salaries for the water plant employees.
Letting a competent private company handle the water system could fix the problems. However, two things would have to happen. (1) Rates will have to be raised and (2) bills will have to be collected. I see no other way. It will take money to fix the problem. They will have to get increased revenues. Raising rates is the way to do it.
They need:
(1) more money
(2) spend it wisely
(3) slowly dig out of hole
11:27 is ABSOLUTELY RIGHT!! A certified operator/technician is hard to find, harder to keep, and can make quite a bit of money operating local/smaller systems. Plus, who would want to work for the City of Jackson with the problems they now have and the way they handle their business while NOT billing their customers for water to generate the revenues to fix this problem.
So where is the "salary savings" from the vacancies ending up? Slush fund? Palm greasing line item?
Where can one buy a certificate to work in Jackson, I have absolutely no experience in water works, but I need to do something since retiring. I mean, what could I screw up that hasn't been screwed up already.
3:04: You are correct.
Jacksonians LOVE garbage, filth, degeneracy and squalor! Lil' Choks Organic Dookey Water is fine as long as its free! Duh.
What the heck is an "Office Coordinator" and why do you need FIVE of them?
I've worked in a business office environment for 35+ years doing some pretty intense stuff, juggling lots of different matters, and I've never needed much more than a secretary or two and a receptionist. Maybe I'm just ignorant. Yeah, that's probably it: I'm ignorant.
4:34 pm -- You got that right.
Shades of Ben Canada with three Administrative Assistants, each with a computer and laser printer. But, on the other hand, he did come to work when he was sick.
The coordinators are probably what is commonly known as constituent services and every mayor has such personnel.
"The coordinators are probably what is commonly known as constituent services and every mayor has such personnel."
I'd say Count Chokowe's constituents have been well and truly "serviced." No doubt a select few are getting it the way they hoped for but most are just getting screwed.
Why does Stokes and Tillman get paid less than the other council members besides the council president?
I'm confused.
None of these salaries are surprising to me or the number of positions.
What I need for comparison is the water sewer positions going unmanned and the salaries and whether they are unmanned because the equipment is broken or the expertise is not available.
And, without the job descriptions and qualifications, I can't tell what, if any, positions should be eliminated or pay reduced.
Generally, the total is not high for a city of Jackson's size. Nor are the salaries.
A new lawyer or accountant ( among other degrees) are going to get nearly as much at national firms operating in Jackson and good small firms have to compete to get the best in any city.
I would hope our State and cities have job descriptions and minimum qualifications for all State and local governments.
The ability to pad jobs for any place that gets any State tax revenue should be damn near impossible.
Dr. Charles will fix it.
Generally, the total is not high for a city of Jackson's size. Nor are the salaries.
Link? Proof? Put up.
Suddenly Dr. Williams says Jackson needs to pay $54,000 per year to attract Class A operators. Hmmm.... wonder why.
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