Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties

Concerns about courthouse raises

To the Editor:

I am writing in response to the March 27 article that reported on the Gogebic County Board of Commissioners action to increase the salary of elected and appointed County officials by $750. The increase amounts to $.50 per hour when compared to the hours other county employees work each year.

I find this decision concerning in light of the position the board took this past December when they asked the non-elected and appointed represented employees to accept a wage freeze for 2014, citing a dwindling fund balance, reductions in revenues and rising health insurance costs as justification for their position.

In good faith, the employees accepted the freeze with assurances from the personnel committee that no other county employee would receive an increase. Did something change? Did revenues increase? Did expenditures drop? Or did the board simply forget their promise? I think the employees deserve an answer to that question.

Bob Murphy

Staff Representative AFSCME