<html><head><style type="text/css"><!-- DIV {margin:0px;} --></style></head><body><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:12pt"><DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: times new roman, new york, times, serif"><BR>I'd like to add my vote to the unofficial tally - I support pay raises for the Mayor and Council. The private sector accepts, without question, that competitive salaries are required to retain quality employees. Why should the public sector be different? </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: times new roman, new york, times, serif"> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: times new roman, new york, times, serif">Kate Sharpe</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: times new roman, new york, times, serif">4800 Ravenswood</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: times new roman, new york, times, serif"> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: times new roman, new york, times, serif">----- Original Message ----<BR>From: Marita Novicky <novickym@hotmail.com><BR>To: towntalk@riverdale-park.org<BR>Sent: Monday, December 4, 2006 1:11:24 PM<BR>Subject: Re: [RP TownTalk] Mayor and Council salaries, problems and solutions<BR><BR>
<DIV>You all make excellent points. I join Kate Kelly in the camp that says pay our officials more. David Hiles is so right about hiring and paying quality workforce personnel. <BR><BR><BR>Marita A. Novicky<BR><BR><BR>----------------------------------------<BR>> From: towntalk-request@riverdale-park.org<BR>> Subject: TownTalk Digest, Vol 5, Issue 6<BR>> To: towntalk@riverdale-park.org<BR>> Date: Mon, 4 Dec 2006 12:00:04 +0000<BR>> <BR>> Send TownTalk mailing list submissions to<BR>> towntalk@riverdale-park.org<BR>> <BR>> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit<BR>> <A href="http://riverdale-park.org/mailman/listinfo/towntalk" target=_blank>http://riverdale-park.org/mailman/listinfo/towntalk</A><BR>> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to<BR>> towntalk-request@riverdale-park.org<BR>> <BR>> You can
reach the person managing the list at<BR>> towntalk-owner@riverdale-park.org<BR>> <BR>> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific<BR>> than "Re: Contents of TownTalk digest..."<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> Today's Topics:<BR>> <BR>> 1. Re: Mayor and Council Salaries (Rob Oppenheim)<BR>> 2. Revenue - Problems - Solutions (Rob Oppenheim)<BR>> 3. Fwd: Mayor and Council Salaries (Kate Kelly)<BR>> 4. Revenue - Problems - Solutions (David Hiles)<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------<BR>> <BR>> Message: 1<BR>> Date: Sun, 3 Dec 2006 17:32:44 -0500<BR>> From: Rob Oppenheim <oppenheim@email.com><BR>> Subject: Re: [RP TownTalk] Mayor and Council Salaries<BR>> To: TownTalk <towntalk@riverdale-park.org><BR>>
Message-ID: <2006123173244.512605@Rob2><BR>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"<BR>> <BR>> On Sun, 3 Dec 2006 08:41:23 -0500, Alice Ewen Walker wrote:<BR>> >...Including?OC?in?the?average?benchmarks?for?salaries?bumps?the?average?up?quite?a?bit.?<BR>> ?<BR>> FYI, we omitted Ocean City (OC) in the adjusted average, along with some <BR>> other adjustments to make it more relevant to our situation and time frame. <BR>> The numbers did not change much. Less for the mayor, more for council...<BR>> Adjusted Average was $689 for council and $915 for mayor.<BR>> ?<BR>> <A href="http://riverdale-park.org/pipermail/towntalk/2006-September/000901.html" target=_blank>http://riverdale-park.org/pipermail/towntalk/2006-September/000901.html</A><BR>> ?<BR>> Similar sized towns deal with similar problems and is a reasonable comparison.<BR>> Looking at budgets is good too.<BR>> ?<BR>> District Heights and Glenarden are the
two towns that are near our size whose<BR>> budgets are nearest to ours. District heights $4.5, Glenarden $2.2, RP $3.6.<BR>> <BR>> An average of District Height and Glenarden yields $650 council, $850 Mayor<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> -------------- next part --------------<BR>> An HTML attachment was scrubbed...<BR>> URL: <A href="http://riverdale-park.org/pipermail/towntalk/attachments/20061203/f0837ff0/attachment-0001.html" target=_blank>http://riverdale-park.org/pipermail/towntalk/attachments/20061203/f0837ff0/attachment-0001.html</A> <BR>> <BR>> ------------------------------<BR>> <BR>> Message: 2<BR>> Date: Sun, 3 Dec 2006 18:09:35 -0500<BR>> From: Rob Oppenheim <oppenheim@email.com><BR>> Subject: [RP TownTalk] Revenue - Problems - Solutions<BR>> To: TownTalk <towntalk@riverdale-park.org><BR>> Message-ID: <200612318935.504215@Rob2><BR>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"<BR>> <BR>> Let me
see if I can clarify a few items recently discussed here.<BR>> <BR>> Revenues Fluctuate. <BR>> <BR>> A few years ago there was a revenue shortfall that resulted in cut backs. <BR>> We are in pretty good shape right now. Don?t get me wrong. There is <BR>> not a ton of money, but there is some. We can, and are, doing things<BR>> to improve this town.<BR>> <BR>> The Good News<BR>> <BR>> As a result of increased revenues, we were able to increase funding for<BR>> police and front office staff. It takes time to see results from increased <BR>> staffing. Hiring people in government takes a long time. Then there is <BR>> training time, followed by time spent clearing the backlog of work. <BR>> Routine turnover in staff also slows progress. But progress is being made. <BR>> <BR>> The police department is now well funded and fully staffed and at a high<BR>> point. E.g., there was a patrol car posted at the path next to Greg?s
towing<BR>> last night. This area needs better lighting too. The street lamps above<BR>> this area on E-W highway are out. (You would not believe how much time<BR>> and effort it takes to get street lamps fixed.)<BR>> <BR>> We have had some success here. Some lights that have been dark for <BR>> years are now lit. I have a commitment from the state highway dept<BR>> to fix those lamps on E-W highway. I will probably have to follow up and <BR>> remind them several times before it gets done. Once those lamps are fixed, <BR>> we can look at the area again to see if still more lighting is appropriate. <BR>> <BR>> The Bad News<BR>> <BR>> We all worry that our town is slipping into disrepair, over crowding, and crime.<BR>> <BR>> These are big problems that need long-term solutions. The ?whack a mole?<BR>> approach won't fix them. Nor will just increasing staff. <BR>> <BR>> We need long-term, visionary solutions that come from
the top - the council. <BR>> We need creative, can do leaders. I think we have a few - we need more.<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> ------------------------------<BR>> <BR>> Message: 3<BR>> Date: Sun, 03 Dec 2006 22:31:15 -0500<BR>> From: Kate Kelly <kelly.kate@verizon.net><BR>> Subject: [RP TownTalk] Fwd: Mayor and Council Salaries<BR>> To: TownTalk@riverdale-park.org<BR>> Message-ID: <6D4A92AD-8398-4CFB-B1BE-CDC02C162504@verizon.net><BR>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> > Subject: Re: [RP TownTalk] Mayor and Council Salaries<BR>> ><BR>> > My $600 on this: Our elected officials are worth a lot more than <BR>> > that. If you're polling, put me in the "pay the mayor and council <BR>> > more" column.<BR>> > KK<BR>> <BR>> -------------- next part --------------<BR>> An HTML attachment was
scrubbed...<BR>> URL: <A href="http://riverdale-park.org/pipermail/towntalk/attachments/20061203/6f100fbf/attachment-0001.html" target=_blank>http://riverdale-park.org/pipermail/towntalk/attachments/20061203/6f100fbf/attachment-0001.html</A> <BR>> <BR>> ------------------------------<BR>> <BR>> Message: 4<BR>> Date: Sun, 3 Dec 2006 22:49:11 -0500<BR>> From: David Hiles <hilesd@mindspring.com><BR>> Subject: [RP TownTalk] Revenue - Problems - Solutions<BR>> To: TownTalk@riverdale-park.org<BR>> Message-ID: <85e7f746fcfc97bd313f4697c81c6ea0@mindspring.com><BR>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed<BR>> <BR>> My messages to this list are being moderated because I was judged to <BR>> have violated the posting standards.<BR>> ************************************<BR>> <BR>> Salaries:<BR>> When I was walking my ward a while back, I met a lot of good people. <BR>> Many of
them could have been good on the council. They would have <BR>> brought new ideas and energy to the group. But they work two jobs. If <BR>> the council paid better, they might be able to cut back on the second <BR>> job and participate. The ideal of selfless public service is ancient. <BR>> Paying for public service so that the less well-off can join in is more <BR>> modern, but still honorable.<BR>> <BR>> It is a good investment to make council membership attractive to all <BR>> members of our community. If there are lots of good candidates out <BR>> there who step up and and run every election, then maybe there is no <BR>> problem. The quality and depth of the candidate pool varies some by <BR>> ward. We need forward-thinking, energetic representatives in every <BR>> seat. If you aren't willing to pay for salary increases, please don't <BR>> say you are in
favor, but not right now. If not now, when? If not <BR>> you, who?<BR>> <BR>> Inflation happens. Set an attractive salary and then escalate it <BR>> annually by law using the DC MSA federal pay increase. That takes pay <BR>> out of the list of diversionary, low-priority things to run elections <BR>> about. Having big voting battles about inflation-driven pay increases <BR>> makes as much sense as voting against a barometric pressure increase. <BR>> Spend your scarce time and energy on the important stuff.<BR>> <BR>> Councilmembers who don't need the salary or an increase have always <BR>> been able to donate it back to the town. Some members in the past <BR>> earmarked their forgone salary for priority projects. Incredibly, some <BR>> people complained about the earmarking.<BR>> <BR>> Revenue:<BR>> Local gov't revenue varies, often more
than spending. When big <BR>> properties are developed, revenue increases. When big properties sit <BR>> vacant, they generate less revenue. Try the land value tax and see if <BR>> it works. You could always repeal it if it didn't work. Riverdale <BR>> seems to be vulnerable to this kind of swing because of the big parcels <BR>> which are still in play within our boundaries. The recurring <BR>> revenue-spending problem calls for a council which can think over <BR>> multiple years and develop long term budgets for planning purposes. <BR>> Changing the term of office from 2 to 4 years would help develop a <BR>> longer frame of vision.<BR>> <BR>> Solutions:<BR>> Staff inefficiency plays into the pay argument. Somebody recently <BR>> said, "Hiring people in government takes a long time. Then there is <BR>> training time, followed by time spent clearing the
backlog of work. It <BR>> takes time to see results from increased staffing. Turnover in staff <BR>> also slows progress."<BR>> <BR>> If you want an efficient town staff, then be happy to pay them well <BR>> enough that they want to stick around, not leave as soon as they are <BR>> trained. An efficient staff means that all the town functions that we <BR>> care about get done better. If an experienced, motivated staff can <BR>> save us from one lawsuit every ten years, it is cheaper, too. This <BR>> idea applies to councilmembers, too.<BR>> <BR>> We have a problem of scale. By that I mean we are too small to do lots <BR>> of town functions well or efficiently. No criticism, just an <BR>> observation. We already address some of those scale problems <BR>> implicitly by sharing equipment between jurisdictions or by sharing <BR>> police through mutual aid agreements. We could address it
explicitly <BR>> by merging the Town of Riverdale Park with a similar adjacent <BR>> jurisdiction, like Edmonston.<BR>> <BR>> Another problem may be one of support. If someone on the council who <BR>> you respect says we need something that costs town money for our <BR>> community, think (longer) before slagging them. Ditto for someone who <BR>> proposes a new idea. Everyone up there deserves our support, because <BR>> it often isn't all that much fun.<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> Glynd?r "I can call spirits from the vasty deep!"<BR>> <BR>> Hotspur: "Why so can I, or so can any man; but will they come when you <BR>> do call for them?"<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> ------------------------------<BR>> <BR>> _______________________________________________<BR>> TownTalk mailing list<BR>> TownTalk@riverdale-park.org<BR>> <A href="http://riverdale-park.org/mailman/listinfo/towntalk"
target=_blank>http://riverdale-park.org/mailman/listinfo/towntalk</A><BR>> <BR>> For more information about Riverdale Park, visit <A href="http://www.ci.riverdale-park.md.us/" target=_blank>http://www.ci.riverdale-park.md.us</A><BR>> <BR>> End of TownTalk Digest, Vol 5, Issue 6<BR>> **************************************<BR><BR>_________________________________________________________________<BR>Check the weather nationwide with MSN Search: Try it now!<BR><A href="http://search.msn.com/results.aspx?q=weather&FORM=WLMTAG" target=_blank>http://search.msn.com/results.aspx?q=weather&FORM=WLMTAG</A><BR>_______________________________________________<BR>TownTalk mailing list<BR>To post to the list, send mail to TownTalk@riverdale-park.org<BR>TownTalk-request@riverdale-park.org is for automated subscription processing only<BR><A href="http://riverdale-park.org/mailman/listinfo/towntalk"
target=_blank>http://riverdale-park.org/mailman/listinfo/towntalk</A><BR><BR>For more information about Riverdale Park, visit <A href="http://www.ci.riverdale-park.md.us/" target=_blank>http://www.ci.riverdale-park.md.us</A></DIV></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: times new roman, new york, times, serif"><BR></DIV></div><br>
<hr size=1>Access over 1 million songs - <a href="http://pa.yahoo.com/*http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=36035/*http://music.yahoo.com/unlimited/">Yahoo! Music Unlimited.</a></body></html>