Self-serving much?
In today’s Dispatch, we got to listen to Ryan Ward (who has been with the City for all of 151 days) tell us that his position is underpaid by 13%:
This “data” comes from the Texas MUNICIPAL League – an organization that exists only to serve government employees (NOT taxpayers) and upon which I have taken large shits in the past.
The “data” idiotically included towns that were supposedly “similar” to Lampasas – you know, like Marble Falls and Fredericksburg.
Unfortunately, Ryan Ward’s “data” is wildly contradicted by REAL data from Salary.com – an organization that is neutral and gives unbiased numbers based on REALITY (not cherry-picked municipalities where many residents own yachts and vineyards).
As I wrote 5 months ago, Ryan Ward is actually OVERPAID by roughly 25% – as his STARTING salary a few months ago was $110,000. According to a PREVIOUS Dispatch article, the national average for Assistant City Manager “typically falls between $72,536 and $96,545“:
I’m pretty sure Ryan Ward knew what he was going to get paid when he agreed to work here. They didn’t pull it out of a hat AFTER he signed the papers. Ergo, there is ZERO case for giving him any kind of raise for quite a while.
Also, there were THIRTY applicants for that job. Hardly what would happen if Lampasas was paying TOO LITTLE for the position.
Ryan also took a page out of Finley’s favorite playbook: only talking about SALARIES and never even mentioning the word “BENEFITS”. Well, I’ll mention it:
Between Finley (the City manager) and Ryan (his assistant) the two of them pull down $91,348 in benefits EVERY YEAR. That is on TOP of their combined $260,000 in salary AND a generous car and phone allowance (another $8,250).
That includes their generous 2-1 matching for retirement. When Ryan puts $7,000 into his pension, the City forks over ANOTHER $14,000 FOR him. That is REAL money but it is something Finley and Ryan try hard to ignore every summer in their ‘we’re underpaid’ rain dance they do for council.
The City has a generous paid-time-off and sick leave policy too! Which I have mentioned on more than one occasion – including a year ago when it was made more generous yet again:
City Personnel Policy Changes: Mo Money…Lotsa Paid Time Off.
In fact, the word “benefits” never escaped Ward’s mouth during his presentation until Randy “Speedbump” Clark brought up the 2-1 matching thing and Ward was forced to admit it.
The report ALSO mentioned that our police chief pay is 7.9% HIGHER than average and our library director is 11.2% overpaid, among others:
Are they going to cut Jody’s salary by 8% next year? Are they going to tell Shanda Subia SHE is making 11% less next year? Something tells me that’ll never happen. They will only consider ‘adjustments’ to the UPSIDE, if history is any guide. So what is the point of this exercise?
Back in the old days, the saying for government workers was “great salary, great benefits, great job security – pick two”.
Most of the time, government workers weren’t paid outlandish salaries but they had incredible benefits and never got fired. Which they should be quite happy with. Especially considering the outrageous cost of health insurance now compared to 40 years ago. That benefit ALONE costs the Lampasas taxpayers about $1.2 MILLION per year for the city’s roughly 105 employees.
NOWADAYS, they get all three: great bennies and job security, AND salaries that are higher than their private-sector counterparts who are paying for all of this.
Hardly seems fair to the taxpayer who is footing the bill. City council has a chance to tap the brakes on this “automatic raises for everyone and every year” bullshit. Will they??