Kudos … to the Snohomish County Exec and the County Council for doing such a fine job.
During a time when our country is going into a deep recession, businesses are going bankrupt and thousands of employees are being laid off, our County Council negotiated a contract with a county employees union, giving the employees a 5 percent cost of living increase, plus a signing bonus. (A signing bonus for already employed people?) This was done on the QT. Only after the contract had taken effect did they leak it to the newspaper and general public.
Now they cry how bad the economy is and how they will need to reduce services to the taxpayers in order to balance their budget. Their justification for the wage increase was that county employees are underpaid. Excuse me?
I, as a taxpayer, would like the council to practice some transparency and furnish for print in the local newspaper, a breakdown of county employees wages complete with fringe benefits — vacation allowance, sick pay, etc.
At a time when the county should be freezing all wages and unnecessary spending, they continue to show their contempt for the taxpayers of Snohomish County. Like state and federal politicians, they all speak with a forked tongue and represent only their interests.
I would hope, in the next elections, that the residents of Snohomish County will remember how their best interests have not been served by the executive and council members, and vote their butts right out of office!
Loyd Hatfield
Arlington
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
