Ask your councilman to look at the numbers and run the city like most small businesses in the community are being forced to run theirs.
Over the past five years the general budget has gone up a little over 5 percent a year and part of the increase was salary and wages. The average city employee salary is now a little over $47,000 while 50 percent of the households in Wilson have an income of less than $35,000.
Would it be too much to ask that government employees bare the same economic pain as the rest of us?Holding budget increases to population growth plus rate of inflation the city management would have saved the city about $4 million over the past five years.
If this year's budget is anything like past years, salaries and wages will go up. Every citizen should ask for a salary and hiring freeze.
You know the excuse for not freezing wages, the same one you hear every time the subject comes up, if we don't pay a decent wage then our employees will go elsewhere. Hog wash! Who is going to leave a job that has wage and benefit package better than most industries, has a guaranteed job for life and lives in a county that has 13 percent unemployment rate. Believe me they will stick around.
Hey city officials have you listened to the news lately: The country is in a recession we need some help. You have cleaned out our wallets with high utility rates; there is no money left for a tax increase.
My son works for a manufacturer and he was informed last week no bonus and no pay increases this year.
That is the way businesses operate. We should demand the city do the same.
Willian E. Biddle,
Article appeared in the Letter to the Editor section of the Wilson Times
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