QUESTIONS ON PROPOSED CITY PAYRAISES FOR ALL SHREVEPORT EMPLOYEES

Santa arrived early for Shreveport city employees on Friday afternoon. He  did not brings gifts but a hope to fatten their wallets next month.

Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins announced that a proposal will be introduced at the council's next meeting on Dec. 28  to give an across the board payraise of 13% to the more than 2000  full time city employees. The ordinance can be adopted at the council's Jan. 11 meeting.

The mayor stated that the White House had given approval to utilize American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds to help underwrite the payraises. He also identified general fund surplus dollars plus increased sales tax revenue as funding sources.

The press conference was attended by council members Tabitha Taylor, James Green and Jerry Bowman, Jr. Noticeable in their absence were the council members whose payraise proposal for first responders (only) was defeated at the Tues. Dec. 14 meeting on a deadlock vote (Levette Fuller, Grayson Boucher, John Nickelson).

The announcement was long on promise and good cheer but short on details. 

The obvious questions that need to be answered before a council vote include the following:

1. Is the White House ARP approval in writing, and does it apply only to the 2021 ARP moneys, or does it include the anticipated 2022 ARP moneys;
2. What amount of ARP funds and surplus moneys  will be needed for the raises in 2022 and for 2023;
3 What is the estimated additional expense for the payraises in 2022 and 2023;
4.  What is the estimated additional cost of the city's increased contribution for employee pension plans for 2022 and 2023;
5. Should the payraises apply to department heads and top administration officials ;
6. Will the payraise apply to newly approved job positions in Information Technology and Economic Development.

In the prior discussions of the pay scale of city employees, there was no mention of the total value of the compensation package of city employees that includes not only wages, but paid holidays, paid sick leave, pension contributions and guaranteed work hours versus that in the private sector.  Unfortunately the emotional rhetoric of some council members and city employees failed to acknowledge must less recognize the total employee compensation.

Hopefully Mayor Perkins will advise his department heads that employee attendance at the Dec. 28 meeting and other meetings while the payraise is under consideration should be limited to those who are off the clock, i.e. not attending during work hours. 

Additionally  Shreveport Fire Department first responders should not drive fire trucks and department SUVS to government plaza transporting on duty personnel to attend these meetings. At Tuesday's meeting five fire trucks and two SUVS were parked on Travis and McNeil streets.

The council heard citizens comments for approximately four hours at those meetings concerning payraises. These do not need to be repeated. The same is true with telephone calls, texts, letters and/or emails with the same message to council members.

Full disclosure of the moneys needed for the payraise and the sources of funding should be provided at the Dec. 28 council meeting, if not sooner, for 2022 and 2023. Presently the ARP funding ends in 2022 and that reality should be a cause for concern in approval of this broad based proposal.

If enacted, the sweeping payraise package certainly loads the city's economic wagon for 2022, and years to come. The sustainability of this package is critical with the burgeoning costs of  compliance with the EPA Consent Decree, the city's current unfunded pension liability, the city's population decline , and aging infrastructure.