Wait, you mean kids don’t want to jump through all your hoops (possess a current Red Cross Lifeguarding, CPR and Standard First Aid certificate) for a shitty $8.25 per hour??
You don’t say.
The only two people in this town who don’t understand how a free market in wages works are Clayton Tucker and Finley DeGraffenried, it appears.
You gotta hand it to City Manager Finley (salary and benefits of over $200,000.00) – he is really on the ball and has his finger on the pulse of the local economy.
He has just realized that “many retailers starting wages are significantly higher than what the City offers” and that “the City cannot compete with major local businesses” [page 7]
No shit!
It kind of proves the point I’ve made 50 or 60 times now that the Business Pork project is completely unnecessary, since the EXISTING businesses in town are fighting over labor already. For the City to spend $7.1 million tax dollars to subsidize MORE businesses to locate here right now is beyond moronic.
Speaking of the Business Pork, Finley also reports that “Stacey reported progress on discussions with prospects for the Business Park” [page 60]
That would be Stacey Ybarra, the new Economic Development Director who is making well over $115,000.00 in salary in benefits after two months on the job.
So there is a TON of money to pay an “economic development director” [who does not even live in Lampasas, by the way] to run around and try to find crappy businesses to subsidize in the Business Pork (** cough ** Eco-Strong? ** cough **) but NO money to pay the LOCAL high school kids a decent lifeguard wage?
I even outlined a simple plan for Finley almost THREE YEARS AGO on this issue:
Dear Finley: You Are Full Of Crap [Part I, II, III]
There is one simple answer: the lifeguard wages must be jacked immediately to $12 or $15 – there is no other answer. The pools MUST be opened. That is one of your basic jobs as City government – police, pure water, parks, potholes and pools. Get that shit right before you start wasting millions on vanity projects.
Instead, they have been wasting millions of dollars and hundreds of manhours on superfluous garbage like the Business Pork project and the Hostess House debacle.
Can’t wait to see how they handle this on Monday evening!!