No 2010 Raises for Rye City Hall Employees

As many employees for both private and public companies face layoffs, salary cuts and pay freezes, the city of Rye also is adjusting to the weak economy by freezing wages for several city employees.

Employees in the administrative pay group—which includes everyone from the assistant city manager and comptroller to the recreation supervisor and police commissioner—won't get raises in 2010.

The measure does not apply to the city's four collective bargaining units, which include the police and fire departments and members of the clerical and public works units. The clerical unit's nine members will get a 4% pay raise based on their contract, which runs through 2010.

City Manager Frank Culross said the city is prepared to negotiate with the bargaining units, but "any increase in costs will need to be offset by an equal reduction in costs," elsewhere in the budget, Culross said.

The city passed its $52 million operating budget by a 6-1 vote at its last meeting of the year. Council member Joe Sack voted no, saying he had concerns about the budget's revenue forecasts.

Though Rye is tightening its belt, other municipalities have gone in the opposite direction. The Hempstead Town Board in Long Island recently voted to give its board members seven to ten percent raises.

However, Rye has emphasized that its 2010 budget reflects the fragile economy.

"This is not a business as usual year and this is not a business as usual proposed budget," the city said in its budget report. "We are in the midst of what has become known as the "Great Recession."

Incoming mayor Doug French said the lack of raises reflects what is happening throughout the country.

"We live in a time where people are not only not getting raises, but are also getting pay cuts," French said. "To have that translated into our local government--that's the world we live in."

Each one percent increase in salary costs the city approximately $124,000 a year. However, the city will still see an increase in personnel expenses because the cost of employee benefits were budgeted to increase by $522,000, Culross said.

Culross said the city has not called for a wage freeze in several decades.

"I expect that it is the first time since collective negotiations began in the mid-1960's," Culross said. "This is an unusual time."