Commissioner Ford Withdraws Salary Grievance Amid Firestorm of Opposition

 

SAN ANGELO, TX -- Tom Green County Commissioner Bill Ford apologized for wasting the Salary Grievance Committee’s time while defending the discussion of salaries in general Monday afternoon.  

The Salary Grievance Committee was created in July after Commissioner Ford submitted a letter formally filing a grievance of his proposed salary.  At the meeting where elected officials salaries were proposed, Ford said, “Our salaries (Commissioners) have not gone up to even close to those in other counties our size and we’re $10,000 to $15,000 behind for commissioners in counties our size.”  Ford continued, “Since I’ve been on the court for six years it’s been two to two and a half percent raise each year for county commissioners which amounts to about $30 to $40 every two weeks and I drive 37,000 to 38,000 per year on my truck and I get compensated for my vehicle ($11,259 per year) and that’s not nearly enough with the price of vehicles and tires and gas.”   

Ford said, “We’ve got to start catching up or nobody’s going to want to do this job.”  “And I don’t think I’m being compensated enough for a county this size for a commissioner to do the job we’re doing.”  

“I’m asking the County Judge for a minimum ten percent raise for county elected officials.” Ford said.  Those comments are verbatim from the video of the July 17 meeting.  They can be viewed on the County's website here.  

Today, Ford said he was talking about county employees’ salaries.  

The salary grievance committee by state law was made up of District Clerk Sheri Woodfin, County Judge Steve Floyd, County Attorney Chris Taylor, County Treasurer Dianna Spieker, Sheriff David Jones, County Clerk Liz McGill and three members of the public.  

The discussion focused on salaries of county employees being so low that it is difficult to hire quality employees. In the current proposed budget, eligible county employees will get a 2.7 percent Cost of Living Adjustment raise and are eligible a 2.3 percent merit raise for a total 5 percent for many employees.  The salary grievance committee by law can only consider the elected official who filed the grievance and no one else's salary.  Monday's discussion ranged well outside the authority of the salary grievance committee.

What wasn't mentioned is that to increase Tom Green County employees' salaries by ten percent across the board will require a property tax increase.    

Elected officials are budgeted a three percent raise in the FY 2019 budget proposal.  

After about 45 minutes of Commissioner Ford explaining the history of large capital expenses like the new county jail Judge Floyd asked Ford if he was withdrawing his grievance.  

Ford's comments also included acknowledging that there had been controversy over his ten percent request because of what Ford called "Embelished" headlines on San Angelo Live.  

At first, Ford said no. He wanted the committee to vote. Then County Treasurer Spieker said his letter wasn’t specific about how much he wanted to increase his salary. At that point, Judge Floyd asked again if Ford wanted to withdraw his grievance and Ford said yes.

With that, Floyd said the grievance committee had nothing to vote on so he released the committee.  Several people in attendance wanted to comment on the issue, but with the committee leaving, the conversation ended.  

The Tom Green County Commissioners Court has a mandatory budget hearing Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. following their regular meeting.  The final public budget hearing is set for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 23. Both public hearings will be held in the Commissioner’s Court meeting room on the second floor of the Keyes Building downtown.  

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Commissioner Ford needs to resign so that someone that wants to serve the people of this county can take his place. I have a good friend that works for the county that is topped out and will never receive another raise. He stays because he feels God has called him to do so. Tom Green County and San Angelo do not have the tax base that other counties and cities our size do. I'm sorry sir, but you need to go.

Ford complains about 2.5 percent not being enough. Well hello sparky it seems to be good enough for the rest of the County employees to live on. Or at least thats all you guys approve for employees. Sorry not in the budget to take care of the hard working county folks but we can dam sure find the money for a 10 percent raise.

NV5T, Mon, 08/13/2018 - 20:07

Sir - you get almost 12K a year for your truck? 6 years with the county? 11,259.00 a year x 6 years is 67554.00 and you are complaining about your truck, NOONE in San Angelo has a truck that expensive!!! Most of us have had no pay raise in 6 years either, I know I have not where I work. BUT the county keeps raising my taxes which increases my house payment and insurance and you are cryin' about your truck???? Raise our taxes again to give people like you a raise? You have GOT to be kiddin' me???? I live payday to payday now, you sir need a different job!!! 12K a year for your truck - wish I had 12K cut on my taxes!

NV5T, Mon, 08/13/2018 - 20:13

11, 259.00 a year for your truck? 67,554 over the last 6 years you have worked there????? WHAT??? County keeps raising my taxes which raises my house payment and insurance but you get 11,259.00 for YOUR TRUCK! I live payday to payday now and you sir are worried about your expenses?????? Holy Christ!

Wish I could find an exact replica pacifier about the size of a 55 gallon drum and send it to poor little billy for getting "hims wittle feelings hurt"..... :-(
What a goober. Should be fun to point and laugh at him the next time he's seen.

So he blames San Angelo Live, for the fact that he filed a grievance that they reported on;Which is their job to do so. He's just mad that the city now sees him as greedy. The grievance wasn't for the county employees, it was for himself, and now he is trying to make it sound like he cared more about his employees.
Time for some one to file to run against him!

San Angelo does not have the infrastructure as other cities our size because SA does not have big industry nor is it sitting on oil reserves. Now Midland has oil so move there. SA is a retirement town that many citizens want it to remain. Looking at the County Commissioners, many seem to be over 60 and have already retired from another job. This is their second job in their 60's. After elected, some politicians decide they need more money. Knowing well that they knew what the position paid and other cost. So now they spend half their time or more campaigning for higher salaries and not doing what they were elected. If one knows the salary before getting elected and does not like it, do NOT put your name on the ballot. If not happy, do NOT run again. Do not make the excuse that "I was asking for more money so that I could give it to my staff at a bonus on Christmas". So then is SA taxpayers really giving out the bonuses? Just an excuse as citizens of SA knows exactly whose pockets would be filled.

Get more businesses to SA and then we will talk about raises...........and not just restaurants And fix more roads

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