A recent decision by the Herkimer County Community College Board of Trustees that extended raises to non-union employees has many county legislators crying foul.
The board of trustees on Nov. 19 approved a 3.5 percent adjustment, effective Sept. 1, 2009, for 46 non-bargaining unit employees at a cost of $84,500, according to Rebecca Ruffing, Public Relations director.
Several county legislators, during meetings of the Personnel and Education committees Tuesday, voiced their disapproval of the raises.
The main argument made by legislators — including Finance and Personnel committees Chairman Patrick Russell (R-District 15), Helen Rose (D-District 2) and Dennis Korce (R-District 14) — focused on the college’s request for additional funds this summer.
The college originally requested $194,000 in additional funds from the county as part of its sponsor share.
After numerous trips to the negotiating table, county officials agreed to provide an additional $50,000, bringing the county contribution to $1,630,612 on HCCC’s more than $22.5 million budget for 2009-10.
Russell and Rose both said they approved the additional funds, but only with the understanding that the budget would not include these specific raises.
Rose stated in an e-mail she echoed comments made by Korce that the county and college have a good “working relationship,” with the partnership rewarding both entities.
Yet the board of trustees’ recent action to provide the raise “is alarming to me in the face of very serious economic problems for our citizens,” Rose stated. “The college came to the county this year asking for a greater contribution. Had they been up front about their plans to give such a sizable raise, I would not have supported that increased contribution.”
See the whole story in the Nov. 28 edition of The Evening Telegram.
