tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498525082522582900.post2508621993388353966..comments2024-03-22T16:02:08.213-05:00Comments on The Wheel: Raises? What Raises?Mark Stegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02376182294736839659noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498525082522582900.post-78216997031497720222012-03-04T23:57:36.712-06:002012-03-04T23:57:36.712-06:00It is the last 3 years we have had such 'windf...It is the last 3 years we have had such 'windfalls' in ad valorem that brought salary raises. And there were more in the budget anyway. That was noticable with more than 50% of staff at the top of their pay grade. There is a good chart in the transparency section of the website.Sassy Texanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00498774040581968874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498525082522582900.post-13705881217498568532012-03-01T09:34:44.798-06:002012-03-01T09:34:44.798-06:00Ok, that was sarcastic of me and I will use less o...Ok, that was sarcastic of me and I will use less of it this time and more directly provide an answer on where that $11.4 million figure came from. <br /><br />Car allowances didn't change the net. They were already being paid and the conversion to salaries didn't really change the bottom line. Car allowances as a replacement for wages went to about 138 employees and totaled not quite $900k a year. Apparently about 81 people still get a car allowance. See <a href="http://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-news/lake-highlands-richardson/headlines/20100816-Richardson-council-has-shift-in-thinking-1513.ece" rel="nofollow">Richardson-council-has-shift-in-thinking</a> for more details.<br /><br />Now as to the increase in spending in 2011 over 2010, see <a href="http://graphics.dc-tm.com/TotalExpenseChanges10-11.pdf" rel="nofollow">TotalExpenseChanges10-11.pdf</a>. This information came from the 2010 and 2011 CAFRs and matches the $11.4 million increase. 57.89% of the increase is attributed to General Government, which I would guess is payroll and benefits. 13.27% is for public safety, which I wold guess, without digging into it, salary and benefit increases for the PD. Interest and fiscal charges, presumably for debt, increased 24.68%.<br /><br />On a different subject dealing with the COR CAFR, do you find it odd that 87% of all G&A transfers would come from only the W&S and SW funds over the past 8 years?dc-tmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14175240802333780232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498525082522582900.post-72088635161364195282012-03-01T07:46:02.967-06:002012-03-01T07:46:02.967-06:00dc-tm, to make that case, you'd have to show t...dc-tm, to make that case, you'd have to show that those car allowances added up to $11 million or maybe that the allowances *increased* by $11 million in 2011. Not likely.Mark Stegerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02376182294736839659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498525082522582900.post-43345196813537085862012-02-29T11:23:49.392-06:002012-02-29T11:23:49.392-06:00Wasn't it last year Keffler converter all of t...Wasn't it last year Keffler converter all of those 100 plus car allowances? You know, all those city employees who were already at the top of their pay-grades and a car allowance was the only way to give them more money?<br /><br /><a href="http://richardsonblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/08/car-allowances-come-under-ques.html" rel="nofollow">http://richardsonblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/08/car-allowances-come-under-ques.html</a><br /><br /><a href="http://conserveandprotect.blogspot.com/2009/08/amanda-tackett-addresses-bill-kefflers_13.html" rel="nofollow"><br /><br />http://conserveandprotect.blogspot.com/2009/08/amanda-tackett-addresses-bill-kefflers_13.html</a>dc-tmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14175240802333780232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498525082522582900.post-70730242145151406632012-02-29T10:24:34.864-06:002012-02-29T10:24:34.864-06:00"Many journalists have fallen for the conspir..."Many journalists have fallen for the conspiracy theory of government. I do assure you that they would produce more accurate work if they adhered to the cock-up theory."<br />—Sir Bernard InghamMark Stegerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02376182294736839659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498525082522582900.post-91586280207102993192012-02-29T10:13:38.336-06:002012-02-29T10:13:38.336-06:00Mark, this is a prime example of how Richardson...Mark, this is a prime example of how Richardson's reports on public finance are misleading. Who knows what twisted tale these words actually represent? To be sure, where there is deception, there is misdeeds. It is up to curious citizens like we to dig up the real story. Keep asking questions and you will realize why the scoundrels throw around the phrase "gotcha gang".Nathan Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11125033575992516328noreply@blogger.com