From: Charles Doup
Columbus
As a general rule, citizens should be allowed to express themselves regarding their government and its policies. When doing so, we should all remember that we are entitled to our own opinions, but not to our own facts.
Mr. Ken Fudge and I attended the meeting of the city council held on Sept. 18, which included a discussion on the salary limits of city officials, and employees and how they were set. During the meeting, the city’s director of finance, operations and risk management, Mr. Jamie Brinegar, presented the ordinance setting salary limits for public safety officers and other employees.
Mr. Brinegar stated that a salary study had been completed in 2017, in which a minimum, midpoint and maximum salaries had been established. The results of which were included in the salary ordinance being considered. He further stated that this study would be used for the next two years with a goal of increasing salaries to the midpoint as outlined in the study. This study had been adopted in an effort to make the Columbus city government salaries more competitive to surrounding cities and towns.
Mr. Brinegar stated that in some cases the midpoint salaries were significantly higher than current salary levels. He stated that when this was found these increases would be phased in over three years until the midpoint had been reached.
In no case would the maximum salary levels be use to establish the budget for 2019. Since the maximum salary levels were included in the ordinance it is assumed that these levels could be used in the future subject to council approval and public oversight.
Some members of the public stated that the new levels being established in the 2019 budget were well deserved. This writer concurs.
In a separate ordinance the mayor’s salary was increased by 3 percent over the 2018 level, not 30 percent as stated by Mr. Fudge.
Mr. Fudge uses the maximum figures when making his criticism of the Lienhoop administration. He is not correct when he implies that these high figures are being used to establish salaries for himself and others.
Any administration will find themselves being held to accountability for their policies and actions. This is as it should be.
Citizens are entitled to this accountability they are not, however entitled to distort facts to justify their criticism.
