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Letter to the editor

Today's Letters: Classification skews pay average

By LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published January 17, 2008

Recently it was reported that the average Pinellas County government employee earns $70,000 a year. This average is somewhat misleading because there are two different kind of employees and a large difference between the pay of those employees.

The two kinds of employees are Classified and Exempt. The Classified service employee is the working class. These are the people who maintain our parks, repair our roads and process and administer the clerical needs of the people of Pinellas County. When you consider the population growth Pinellas County has seen in the past 10 years, I think that we can all agree that for the most part they do a great job.

The Classified employees are employed from a competitive open register maintained by a Unified Personal System to ensure fairness. Their pay range and classifications are clearly identified and outlined. Few earn $70,000 a year.

Pinellas County also has Exempt employees who are appointed by the appointing authorities or our elected officials. Many of these employees earn well in excess of $70,000. It is when you figure these two different types of employees that you get an average of $70,000 a year.

We are currently under budget reform and these same elected officials have enacted a hiring freeze and stated that further cuts in services might be necessary. I have counted these Exempt employees and there is well above 300 of them. We now face tax reform. It is time to cut the number and define the duties of these Exempt employees and reconsider if the taxpayer can afford them.

Lance Perry, St. Petersburg

Notice of City of Clearwater Referendum Election legal notice, Dec. 25

Don't take power from the people

This notice appears to demonstrate the goal of the Clearwater City Council to remove the general population (taxpayers) from the governing process. All of the proposed changes to the City Charter expand and extend the power of the mayor and City Council.

This seems to be a group that already has capitulated to developers and continues to defy the people. Does it seem appropriate for this group to "appoint" people to various committees and boards? I think not.

I think we should amend Section 2.03 of the City Charter to change the term of office for council members (including the mayor) from three years to one year. Then we could move more investment bankers and real estate agents through the system at a faster clip and maybe finally get some people in there who would respect taxpayers.

I know it's not the policy of the left-wing liberal St. Petersburg Times to respect conservative values, but we aren't going to roll over and play dead either.

John Biggs, Clearwater

Your voice counts

You may submit a letter to the editor for possible publication through our Web site at www.tampabay.com/letters, or by faxing it to (727) 445-4119, or by mailing it to Letters, 710 Court St., Clearwater, FL 33756. You must include your name, address and phone number. Letters may be edited for clarity, taste and length.

[Last modified January 16, 2008, 23:55:22]