City employees factor big in $3.3B budget
Councilors give raises to themselves, Walsh
A city budget watchdog is warning the city to be “vigilant” over rising employee costs that now make up nearly 70 percent of the $3.3 billion budget as approved by the City Council.
The Boston Municipal Research Bureau says the city should exert “tight control over employee head count” and be tough in contract negotiations. Employee expenses for salaries and benefits represent 68 percent of the total budget and 63 percent of the budget increase approved by the council yesterday.
By January, the number of city employees will rise by 220, with Boston Public Schools adding 65 workers which accounts for 29.4 percent of the increase, according to the BMRB’s report.
“So much of it is devoted to employee cost,” Samuel Tyler, president of the BMRB told the Herald. “That is growing. There’ll be an increase in the number of employees, most of which will be in schools. That needs to be watched. The personnel side of the budget needs to be watched carefully.”
Council President Andrea Campbell voted against the school budget due to rising transportation costs which amount to more than 10 percent of education funding.
“I think the question is, what are we doing with the resources we have?” Campbell said. “I am not accepting the BPS budget because I want our strategy to be different.”
“We’ve got work to do,” said Councilor Annissa Essaibi George. “Build BPS continues to be a problem. The idea of upgrading schools is great and needed, but the process is a mess. I hope BPS gets to it.”
The budget also includes funding for 20 new police cadets, EMTs and firefighters, a new ambulance in East Boston, a new park ranger position and a new position within the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Advancement to serve immigrant families.
Meanwhile, the Boston City Council separately moved to raise the salaries for themselves and Mayor Martin J. Walsh, increasing councilor pay from $99,500 to $103,500 and the mayor’s from $199,000 to $207,000 after upcoming elections.
The 4.2 percent raises were recommended by the Municipal Compensation Advisory Board.
Councilors Josh Zakim and Ayanna Pressley voted against the proposal.
“We’re well compensated compared to many Bostionians,” Zakim told the Herald after the vote.
By comparison, members of the Dallas City Council make $60,000. The Board of Supervisors in San Francisco takes home $125,132. The Seattle City Council makes $123,359.