Peter Romeo’s message to the York County Board of Supervisors:
QUESTION: What comment(s) would you like to leave regarding the FY2025 Budget?
The Proposed FY25 Budget states: “The recommended budget includes a compensation plan increase of four percent of the base salary plus an additional annualized amount of $500 for all employees in good standing. This recommendation of a percentage and an additional cash component is consistent with previous years’ budget strategies. Specifically, this allows our more junior staff to recognize a higher effective percentage raise while also recognizing our more tenured staff. The proposed raise at the median salary of $50,000 is effectively 5 percent. Staff members below the median will recognize greater effective raises, while those above the median will see somewhat less. Additionally, a compensation increase at this level will offset health insurance premium increases and make reasonable progress to combat inflation. This budget includes an increase of 12 percent for the County portion of health insurance and a 2 percent increase in the employee portion of health insurance costs while continuing to provide additional incentives for staff to consider our high deductible option. While not a part of the recommended budget, a request was made to increase full-time FTEs to a minimum wage of $16 per hour. This would impact less than 100 FTEs while raising their/our minimum salary to $33,280. If adopted, this wage increase would predominantly impact Public Works, Head Start, and the Library. Should the Board desire to implement this initiative, staff will come back to the Board with the most viable way forward with the resources available.”
The across-the-board salary increase of 4% and $500 per employee bonus should be merit-based. If there is no metric established for personnel evaluations, then I recommend these proposed increases be shelved until one is developed and adopted. This is standard practice in the private sector and provides a tangible mechanism for incentivizing performance. Simply handing out raises and bonuses because the specter of increased revenue allows for it, merely propagates an entitlement mentality and work ethic; and sends the wrong message regarding the expectations of the taxpayers from which this additional revenue ultimately comes. The statement that, “. . . a compensation increase at this level will offset health insurance premium increases and make reasonable progress to combat inflation.” makes it clear that York County taxpayers – already battling the effects of consumer inflation – are being used to offset those very same issues for York County employees. I suggest that York County employees do what the rest of us do – prioritize your needs based on the financial resources of your household, and not expect the rest of us to bridge that gap. Further, the County increasing by 12% the share of employee health insurance while increasing the employee’s share by a mere 2% may seem noble, but it unfairly shifts more of this burden to the taxpayer. I recommend reducing the cost share for employee health insurance by the County from 12% to 8%. Lastly, the proposed increase to the minimum wage of County FTEs to $16 per hour is completely unacceptable. The Governor of Virginia vetoed a proposed increase to $13.00 per hour for the State minimum wage, yet York County proposes to increase the minimum of all its FTEs to $16.00 per hour – again without any merit-based criteria. The first step the York County budget team should take is to look at the FY24 Budget and the FY25 requirements, and identify the disconnects between the two. Then, before salivating over the newly found windfalls of revenue due to assessments or personal property valuations, look at how to meet any new, validated requirements from within the existing budget. As was the case of outrageous vehicle valuations during Covid, the recent real estate assessments in no way reflect the actual values of homes. Yet, the County is quick to figure out how to spend that windfall of revenue. That’s the exact wrong approach, and I encourage the Board to further reduce the property tax rate AND look for other ways (some of which I detailed above) to further relieve York County taxpayers.