The Bossier City Council met yesterday and amended Mayor Lo Walker's proposed budget. Among other things, they cut out a 2% raise for all non-classified city workers. Civil Service employees get a mandated 2% raise yearly.
The workforce has been cut in the last year, and workers have handled those cuts without a decrease in service to the people of the city. In my opinion, the employees deserve the increase.
Council President David Montgomery said that the city will pay an additional 10% on health insurance that the workers would otherwise have to pay themselves. Mayor Walker said that he would prefer the council give the 2% raise and pick up the insurance cost.
The council also nixed plans to allow for hiring additional police and fire personnel to make up for anticipated openings in those departments.
Councilman David Jones was the only dissenting voice, saying that he believed that all city employees should get the 2% increase. He also favored beginning the hiring process on an additional 8 police officers.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
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First of all let me start by saying thank you to David Jones. Now, the 2% raise proposed is not going make or break anyone. It was more or less a nice gesture. The 8 police officers ate a need not a want. David Montgomery proposed an amendment to take the hiring of 8 officers out of the budget in order to save $400,000. However, he votes for an amendment to spend $380,000 to fill in the pond at city hall. I remind everyone they spent hundreds of thousands of dollars fixing the pond just few years ago. I guess that's more important than public safety.
ReplyDeleteYou can e-mail him at jonesd@bossiercity.org
ReplyDeleteOh good Lord 5:53....keep drinking that Kool-aid. Those of us represented by Mr. Jones, can't wait till the council election.
ReplyDeleteThe Bossier City Council election is 2013. David Jones will have opposition!!!!!
ReplyDeleteDavid Jones isn't running.
ReplyDeleteJim,
ReplyDeleteHe says that now but it wouldn't shock me if he has a change of heart. Either way I bet he is not done with city politics.
Jim:
ReplyDeleteI agree that the city employees should get a raise and that the city should hire more fire and police but one big reason why the city has a tough time affording raises or hiring new police and fire is because of the ever increasing expense of meeting the state mandated portions of Police and Fire retirement.
Looming problems with the police, fire and teacher retirements are the biggest issue facing our state and our local governments in the next 10 years. The state can't afford to pay the debts so they push the expense back on the municipalities who then cut services and/or raise taxes and fees on the citizens. We all end up paying for police and fire retirement. And we pay in the form of fewer new policemen and firemen.
We will need bold leadership in the legislature and in the city council to solve these problems.
We do not need a fireman who is part of the fire retirement system and who is beholden to his union buddies "looking out" for us.
That is one of the many reasons why I am supporting Jeff Thompson.
Read Marty Carlson's article in the Forum comparing Duke Lowrie and Jeff Thompson's position on this and other issues. Jeff has a plan that keeps the promises to current retirees while providing for the retirement of future fire and police and working to solve this HUGE problem.
Duke (the union candidate) puts forth soundbites while Jeff has real, common sense solutions.
Here is a suggestion. Conduct a public records request on the city council members residences for the past 4 years. See how many times (name deleted) has been stopped for speeding. SEVERAL! See how many times the police have been to city council members residence due to drunken parties! Several!!!Isn't that right (name deleted)! Check the records! Parties at (name deleted)'s house with alcohol and underage persons!
ReplyDelete7:45 - you can see that I edited your comment and deleted names. In response, you cannot make a public records request on an address. If no charges were filed or tickets issued in these alleged incidents, there probably won't be a record to obtain.
ReplyDeleteDo we know who is opposing Mr. Jones in the upcoming election?
ReplyDeleteThe election is a year and a half away, in spring of 2013.
ReplyDeleteWhen did Councilman Jones become City Council President AGAIN!!!
ReplyDeleteWrong
You're right, my mistake. Should have read Montgomery, not Jones. I corrected it.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait for the city election myself. I will be gladly voting against every incumbent on the ballot.
ReplyDeleteJim,
ReplyDeleteThanks for correcting the post. For the record, I have never voted against a police and fire raise, I voted against the layoff effort, and I voted against the amendment to stop the 2 percent and the hires. Nobody has ever come to my house for complaints and I met with the chief to firm my position on the matter. Seems your following does not even bother to worry about facts because I won't run again and you have published that often. Good luck with the new guy or gal.
Sorry who ever you are but after four terms I am tired of uninformed allegations.
Good luck on whoever.
It's not just about public safety. It's about the safety of the patrol officers. BCPD is already understaffed in patrol. My deepest fear is that an officer is going to be hurt because of no backup.
ReplyDeleteJim,
ReplyDeleteThe calls for service at an address and the license numbers of vehicles stopped are maintained in the CAD system. As well as their dispostion and any comments that the officer had to say about the stop. Like, Headquarters, log the stop a 10-93, its was Councilman again.
10:15,
ReplyDeleteJim's son works for BCPD and I'm pretty sure he knows how our computer system works. Yes, you can look up an address but you don't have to do that. Just up his name. You wil get an idea of what kind of person he is due to the incidents we have had to deal with and that is just what hasn't been covered up from previous administrations.
10-19-11@11:12,
ReplyDeleteYou say you are supporting Jeff Thompson due to the retirement systems being in shambles so you don't want a firemen who is part of the system.
Well I'll have you know since you obviously uninformed. The only person who has gone to jail for stealing from the retirement system is, you guessed it, a LAWYER.
You see, lawyers usually don't care about right or wrong. They are there to look out for the best interest of the person who is paying them. I think that's the point Duke was trying to make by calling Jeff a trial lawyer.
Now I'm sure none of this matters to you your mind is already made up to vote for Jeff but don't blame police officers, firemen, or teachers for their retirement systems being in the shape they are in today because there are LAWYERS involved that made it all possible.
Bossier City is in the shape it is in because of a lawyer ( Jimmy Hall) who for some unknown reason has been given all the power to run the city and the mayor nor the city council does anything to stop him.
We don't get to vote Lo Walker and the rest of the city council out of office til 2013. But we can start this Saturday by voting for Tommy Harvey. I believe he will a fresh voice on the council who has not been corrupted by old politics. I believe he will be fair and do whats right for Bossier City and not just his buddies.
ReplyDeleteI just can't wait for January when they try to convince everyone that crime is down in Bossier City. They did it last year and they will do it again.
ReplyDeleteBossier City does not need so many City Workers, including Fireman and Police Officers. I do not care to have my taxes raised to pay for their raises for getting certified or for generous health plans or retirement incentives. We only need just enough Police to respond to violent crime. BPCD has so many officers just setting traps for seat belt violations and plenty of extra time to harass its citizens. I do not like having to many unneeded cops in the police state of Bossier City. We do not need so many City Workers, I worked for the City of Bossier City and know that they park their city vehicles all over the city or at someone's house while they goof off or sleep until called on the radio to go do something. City Workers also get pay raises for just completing certification. No certifications should be used for getting promotions, not an incentive to get paid more. The General City Worker also gets generous health and retirement plans on our dime. Once in a while the City of Bossier City tries to increase the pay for ALL City Workers, not just Fireman and Police - that is expensive and we taxpayers pay for it with increases in everything; City Taxation as well as higher Utility Bills. The only City Workers that deserve the pay they get are all the Fireman and EMS. We can get along fine with half of the General City Workers and half of the sorry police-state arrogant Cops we have now. Let me say one thing about Cops and DUI. Why don't Cops sit near all those casinos and bars and entertainment places just waiting for people to just try and drive home? It will not happen because those places pay protection monies to the City of Bossier and Shreveport. Now what other corruption go on. Just one more. Every time the Water Treatment Plant gets refurbished or redesigned, the Mayor and others as well as the Water Treatment Plant Manager and Asst. Manager, and Utilities Dept. Head get kick backs off of the sale of scrap metal or the sale of anything else for that matter. This money should go to the coffers of the City, not into the pockets of the Mayor, or other City Cronies.
ReplyDelete