Does the City Council deserve a pay increase?

[dichloromethane]

Originally Posted by belleislerunner

No more money on our streets! We already have the best infrastructure in the country.

Spend it on things that trickle down and stimulate the economy like salary increases, retirement perks and lifetime pensions after 15 years of service.

[Ant131531]

This will only affect those who are on the city council after the people currently on it so they voted for the people who will follow them to get the pay increase. I hope people have kept this in mind or are informed of this.

[DONNIEANDDONNA417]

Originally Posted by GeorgiaLakeSearch

I am talking about the City of Atlanta, not the State of Georgia.

So yes the state is majority Republican, but the city is not. Obama won Fulton and DeKalb counties overwhelmingly.

The City of Atlanta is in Fulton and DeKalb if you are unaware.

Im very much aware thank you very much...but it still doesnt matter....ATLANTA has never cared about their city workers...and isnt it the state that aids these type of decisions?

[midtown mile girl]

Originally Posted by WestsideATLCindy

Midtown Mile Girl, why do you think that City council members can do anything about the streets? If the dead weights getting paychecks from City Hall were eliminated then there would be money to pave. Ask any council member, they would LOVE for needy streets to be paved in their districts and in fact there are public documents where they formally ask the City repeatedly for streets to be paved...year after year...only to be told by the administration that there is no money. There a only a few council members getting (maybe) a raise, so it doesn't amount to all that much, but there are thousands of City employees drawing pay who should be run out, and thousands more drawing pensions forever because they also decorated a desk or work truck now and then. Go to City Hall and look around in the offices. Jobs program. Just try to get something done. You have to go to your Council member and get them to harass a city employee for you. For that matter, go to the snack bar at City Hall and try to get that nasty individual to even ring your order up, it's a hostile experience right there she is so lazy and rude and she has been there for years. Paid by city tax payers. With benefits. The (good) council members are not the City's problem. Mismanaged, bloated city departments are the problem. Oh and don't get me started on the Tax Office (which is Fulton County anyway...) But when people tell a group of people on the true front lines of change that they are not worth a living wage and furthermore are evil for even trying to get one, you are shooting yourself in the foot. Someone with a cheaper mortgage than I pay over here in what most people call "the hood" who can get by better on $30,000 a year after taxes may think the council makes plenty already, however I think their salary is too low and should be raised and then I hope some good go-getters run the bums out and provide their communities with some real leadership instead of another decade of fear-mongering and posturing and holding them back. I like you MMG, so this post is not directed at you except that I wonder why you would hold the condition of the streets against the council. Legitimately curious about that. The rest is just my rant.

A pay hike would be easier for the public to take if they actually saw a visible improvement, or something that would make it easier to connect council members with improving the quality of life within the city. I don't think they are evil for wanting a pay increase, that's natural for most people who work.