Wages for FY16

During the month of July the Council has been on vacation.  However, I have been here for most of the month doing the city’s business.  As a whole the city runs a little slower during the month of July.  When we start up in August, we get into the budget cycle and that means that the Tuesdays that we didn’t meet in July are all packed into August and we have a meeting on something every Tuesday next month. 

I have been working on a concept that would bring our first responders up to the 70^th percentile of the other cities in the Metroplex as far as W2.  Our tax base grew last year by 6%, which means that the pie got bigger.  If you read the article in the Star Telegram a week ago concerning police officers, you would realize why it is important to address W2.  The paper confirmed that 14 of the last 20 police officers hired by Ft. Worth, were Dallas police officers.  It was the W2’s that made the Ft. Worth positions more attractive.   We don’t want that to happen in Arlington.  So it is important to address W2’s and how we rate in the market place.

When a raise is given you simply can’t just give a raise to the first responders only. (Police and Fire)  Our staff is also under paid, and we are losing good people to other cities.  Bridget White, Clayton Husband, Andrea Roy were all key figures in our staff that were lured elsewhere due to better offers.   That is why a raise is required across the board.  Our staff personnel are compensated well  below the market average, and this must be addressed in order to maintain the high caliber of professional services that our community deserves.  These are the reasons that I believe W2 is so important, and should be addressed in the month of August for FY16.