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EDITOR:
We hear a lot about the cost of public employee retirements. Can we blame our civil servants or is this just another case where today’s problems are the result of yesterday’s solutions?
After the passage of Proposition 13 to the later part of the 1990s many public entities (cities and counties) increased employee incentives by enhancing retirement benefits instead of salaries because CalPERS was able to refund part of, if not all, retirement contributions to the entities. These benefits were gradual increases in the amount the entity paid to the retirement fund, lowering age for retirement, calculating highest year instead of average of three highest, and increases in the percent the employee would receive at retirement age.
In the early 2000s when the unemployment fell to about 4 percent public entities found, even though they had a very good retirement benefit system, they could not recruit and retain people entering the job market because government entities could not compete with the salaries offered by the private sector. This new generation seemed more concerned with what they were making today than how much they would have for retirement.
To recruit and retain employees the public sector raised salaries and financial incentives to fill the positions needed to maintain the services the public seemed to demand, and at the same time kept the great retirement incentives. As a result a person who retired after 2002 could be paid from 50 to 75 percent more than a person who retired from the same position prior to 2000.
Rolling back either salaries and/or benefits is hard to negotiate when they were promised as a condition of employment and the unions that represent the employees have financed the campaigns of the elected officials that ultimately negotiate the contracts.
Finding a solution is like losing weight, we know we need to but cannot find the commitment to do it right. Is the public willing to pay more for services they have come to expect? Can the public employees accept the fact it is no longer 2002 and they are pricing themselves out of work?
I am sure whatever solutions are found in 10 years will lead to other problems unless the people making the decisions are more concerned about the future of our communities and citizens than they are about their short term incentives or their political futures.
JIM ROTH
Placerville
The Mountain Democrat does not necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post. Read our full policy
RichJune 29, 2012 - 8:15 am
Rolling back either salaries and/or benefits is hard to negotiate when elected officials share in the benefits. A good example is Ray Nutting just elected for his fourth term, not his second. "Contrary to wide spread belief, there is no such thing as term limits for supervisors in EDC. They are limited to two consecutive terms followed by a four year vacation followed by two more consecutive terms until death or incapacity. This pseudo term limit policy is periodically endorsed by a Charter Review Committee appointed by the BOS supervisors." Now that Mr. Nutting is reelected to his fourth term he will be 56 years old at its end. He will have accrued an annuity and perquisites worth more than $400,000, and he and his immediate family will enjoy retirement benefits that will make his salary look small. By contrast, a one term replacement supervisor gets no retirement benefits. But perhaps it is more serious than the ridiculousness of EDC Supervisor income compared to other rural counties. It is more than twice neighboring Placer County.
another part of the pictureJune 29, 2012 - 9:13 am
Does the general public know that many of the PERS retirees paid 7.5% out of every check for this retirement? And any, by law, also had Social Security and medicare taken from the same check. Now add Fed and State taxes, pay less than the private sector and what do you get? 25-3%5 per paycheck less than the private sector. We spent years working for less to have the retirement we now have. Oh, and my last position "required by contract" for me to pay %485/mo (year 2005)in addition to the above for medical that I dind't need due to being covered under my husbands work. many of us sacrifice much for what we may be receiving today..... Be sure to get the whole picture!
Ken SteersJune 29, 2012 - 2:35 pm
to apotp, I don't think that anyone is blaming the government employee for the unfunded mandates. the word "many" is a relative term however. "Many" government retirees never paid a dime into the retirement package they receive. Also I must note that the term "public service" sheen has faded some since the average private sector employee earns $68,000.00 a year, the State worker earns $89,000.00 a year and the Federal employee earns $125,000.00 per year. Doesn't appear to be much of a sacrifice anymore.
horsewomanJune 29, 2012 - 4:56 pm
Who I blame for unfunded mandates in this county is the Board of Supervisors who allow apparently anything the unions want. By contract the unions were not supposed to get more than a 1.2% capped increase in benefits, etc., but the BOS allowed them more. Why? Because the union asked for it, and the BOS are afraid of the unions and their own employees. This means more than $50+ million extra being paid to them over the last contract year, and the same if not more next year. Why on earth do we elect these yahoos who vote for these things? And then we just re-elected the King Yahoo of them all, Ray Nutting, who said at a public forum that the county is in great financial shape and that the public is not responsible for those unfunded mandates. Is he crazy? If the public is not responsible to fund those, either the employees get stiffed or the county declares bankruptcy. But Ray says there is a "special fund" to cover those mandates and that we shouldn't worry about it. He says the public will never haved to pay. Is he kidding and how high up in space is he? How stupid does he think we are? Very stupid and gullible, I guess. When George Turnboo pointed out that the county was $15.7 million in the hole (the county's own figures), plummeting from $56 million in the black in 2007,Ray said that it wasn't true and that the county was fine and in the black. Is he saying that the County lied to him, as their own figures prove George right? Ray apparently doesn't read the paperwork that comes to him, but then many of us have known that for a long time. If anyone had listened to George, you would have voted for him. He is honest and no one is investigating him or his campaign staff, unlike other candidates. I live in Cameron park, voted for George, and as long as we have self-serving bozos on our Board of Supervisors, this is just the kind of stupidity and selfishness we will get.
RebelJune 29, 2012 - 6:19 pm
What George said all along was the truth and more should have listened and voted, however the worst is yet to come. Standby for the money Ray will cost this county with all the A-21 and SACOG promises he has to keep. His first act will be promote another committee and another friend to tell us what we already know. Oh and let's not forget the investigations that are ongoing and how much they're costing, ie. Pioneer FD measure F, misuse of county funds, campaigning on duty, illegal grants, etc.
ObivousJune 29, 2012 - 6:39 pm
I guess if you are making the rules then you can benefit from the results, this seems to be the case here. Hide the money in your own account and claim it to be something else, then profess to all that everything is alright and whatever you do don't look any further. Bait and switch is what it has always been called and it has worked for the past twelve years so why not continue. We all have had our eyes opened to how illegal this BOS/GOB's have been and now is the time to hold their feet to the fire, expose them and complete the cycle. The issues can't all be explained away nor can the money spent, take the next step and arrest them
margaraetJune 29, 2012 - 7:20 pm
So if the other comments are correct, why has Nutting not been arrested? Is that ever going to happen, or are we going to see out-and-out criminals being slapped on the hand, or less, like Mayor Machado? What is the District Attorney doing and what is the Grand Jury doing? And where is the sheriff in all this? There is so much known by so many about Nutting, and why isn't anyone doing anything>
Believe it or NotJune 29, 2012 - 8:46 pm
The wheels of justice seem to have four flats and a dead engine and a loose nut at the wheel on this car that has a full load of people to arrest and convict. The DA, Judges, AG and Sheriff have to all put on blinders and adopted the three monkey stance. See, Hear and Speak no evil and it'll all be good, but what really is sad is how many are involved in the corruption and who's who in this world. It's so hard to believe that not one will come forward and tell all and find an honest person to assist. I guess we can only wait and see and hope that a sane person comes out and we rid this type of leadership or lack thereof.
horsewomanJune 30, 2012 - 3:49 pm
It seems that there are few local officials around that AREN'T bad eggs. You'd think at least a few of them could avoid the greed and ego stroking that apparently comes to so many when they get elected. Some of them think they can do anything, and that includes very frequent drunk driving that is repeatedly overlooked by the Sheriff. It's not like he doesn't know about it. At least one of the bad eggs got tossed out. He was a nasty piece of work.
AmazedJune 30, 2012 - 8:05 pm
How many time will the Sheriff look the other way when it comes to his benefactor Ray driving drunk, his time is short and maybe the CHP will be the ones who find him behind the wheel. He is a public figure who like one before him thinks he has a pass card, the amount of free bees he has had has gone on long enough, oh well we all can just watch and see if he continues to unwrap himself.
Misty KatzJuly 01, 2012 - 11:24 pm
And what pray tell does one do with those "free bees?" Make honey?