Showing posts with label Gloucester County Board of Supervisors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gloucester County Board of Supervisors. Show all posts

Friday, October 6, 2017

Gloucester County Employees May Be Getting More Tax Dollars; But Is It The Right Type Of Pay Increase?


After publishing our story about Gloucester County’s Administrator and Attorney getting raises, we received numerous comments from Gloucester residents. It looks like there are a whole lot of people in Gloucester who do not agree with the Board of Supervisors repeatedly giving nice raises and increased hours of paid time off to our local government executives while our non-executive employees get little to nothing. In fact, there are employees who take home less pay now than they did ten and more years ago. This type of crony socialist practice in our local government should be considered unacceptable by anyone who has worked for a living.

Now there is talk of bonuses for county employees, (Imagine that, just before election time) but are bonus payments in the best interest of non-executive local government employees? Yes and no. If a person working for our local government has no intentions of ever retiring under the Virginia Retirement System (VRS), then yes, bonuses would likely be beneficial to them.

Bonuses are not in the best interest of non-executive employees who intend to make Virginia government service a career. Bonuses are not included as part of a Virginia government employee’s annual salary when determining how much their retirement check from VRS will be. VRS defines Annual Salary as:

An employee’s full compensation payable annually, not including overtime pay, extraordinary pay, bonus pay, nonpermanent shift differentials or termination pay for annual or sick leave.

The best way to compensate or reward our non-executive local government employees is with a real pay raise. Throwing a bonus to these employees is nothing more than an effort to get by with paying these hard-working people as little as possible. What the current and previous Boards of Supervisors don’t seem to get is, these employees are the ones who provide us with water and sewer, maintain our infrastructure, repair our government used vehicles and perform numerous other important functions and services. They don’t get the concept of investing in those employees at any level, but they will hand out tax dollars and paid time off to executive employees like it is candy. Some things need to change in Gloucester and the last four years have not produced those changes. 

Below are the contents of emails one Gloucester resident received from some Gloucester County Supervisors when she questioned our local government employees’ pay. Sounds like the same old empty promises that have fueled the waste of Gloucester County taxpayer dollars in other areas. Like renting our libraries and health department spaces instead of owning them and not creating a revenue stream from health department rent that is paid to Gloucester by the Commonwealth, not consolidating compatible school and county services, building more parks than our local government should ever be responsible for and numerous other wasteful practices.  

From Andy James:

“Thanks for sending your e-mail.  I totally agree, all our county employees deserve a substantial raise, and even though I am one of seven on the BOS, will fight for this raise when it comes up.  Please know that even though the funding is tight, we still greatly appreciate the great jobs that our employees do to make it all work.  Also, the raises that we gave to Mr. Fedors and Mr. Wilmot were much deserved, as well.

 Sincerely,

 Andy James, Ware Dist. Supervisor”

From Phillip Bazzani:

“Coming from private industry as a retired executive at Newport News Shipbuilding, we always paid employees for performance and results.

Having said that, I will tell you that for the upcoming budget, compensation for all County employees will be our first priority.  Because this Board has simplified ordinances stifling new business growth over the last few years, and the significant organizational initiatives Mr. Fedors has implemented, we will have the ability to address compensation.  This is due to the additional sales tax revenue from new businesses who recently set up shop here, and savings/cost avoidance we have experienced thus far thanks to Mr. Fedor’s leadership.

Compensation will be a top priority for me in my upcoming term for all employees.  Moreover, Mr. Fedors has not indicated that the County will not provide the additional compensation bonus to our employees which is scheduled to occur at the end of this year.  

You will hear more about compensation as the year goes on.  I would be glad to talk to you more about this issue, so please do not hesitate to call me at 757-262-8462 (cell).

Phillip

Chair, BOS” 

From John Meyer:

“It was a pleasure to talk to you at the Jubilee – I just thought I’d take the time to put into writing what we discussed.

On the road trip back from the Governor’s Rural Prosperity Summit last week, Mr Fedors and I talked at some length about employee compensation.  There are several factors – sustained low wage growth; increased cost-of-living (to include health insurance); an improving economy that offers employees options; and increased competition for talent from other counties – that lead to the conclusion that county pay must be increased.  Brent is currently working on the pay structure for next year to determine how much it should be and how it should be allocated.  But there is no doubt in my mind that an upward adjustment needs to and will be made.

As for the 1% bonus this year – this was based on using the unexpended fund balance from last year, and couldn’t be awarded until after the books were ‘closed’ for FY17 (ending Jun 30, 2017).  The review is nearly done and the numbers look good.  There is no reason not to expect the bonus in the very near future.

Finally, with regards to Mr Fedors and Mr Wilmot salary increases.  As Mr James pointed out, they have been doing exceptional work – and the Board wanted to recognize that.  But something to keep in mind is that they are on a different pay cycle than the rest of the employees.  The budget and employee compensation for this current fiscal year has to be set in April.  The Administrator and County Attorney have their reviews in late summer and their compensation adjustment is determined by the end of September, and they are paid starting in January.  This out-of- cycle pay adjustment means that you could either think of them as the only ones that got pay increases this year – or you could think of them as being the first ones to get pay raises for next year … and as a leading indicator for good things to come for all employees.

Thank you for writing,

John”

Friday, September 29, 2017

Gloucester Board of Supervisors Increasing County Administrator’s and Attorney’s Pay and Benefits on the Sly


On Tuesday night October 3rd, the Gloucester County Board of Supervisors will vote on a resolution to increase County Administrator, Brent Fedors’ and County Attorney, Ted Wilmot’s pay and benefits, effective July 1, 2017. That’s right last July. Unfortunately, the vote will be held with no public discussion because the matters are contained in the meeting’s consent agenda. For those who do not know; a consent agenda is basically a list of public matters and supporting documents that are voted on collectively, with no public discussion. We can’t help but wonder if the County Administrator didn’t hide money in this year’s budget to cover his and the County Attorney’s pay increase.

There are other significant increases in paid time off, bonus paid days off, increases in the amount of accrued paid time off, increases in the amount of accrued paid time off that can be cashed in at the time of separation from employment with the County and increases in the amount of healthcare expense payouts by the county. Wonder how our blue-collar county employees will feel when they become aware of this nonsense?

We have provided the resolution documents in the Slideshare presentations below. We encourage everyone to review the increases and let the Board of Supervisors know this is completely unacceptable on many levels. Tell them the County Administrator and the County Attorney need to use their paid vacation time or lose it.



Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Gloucester County Board of Supervisors above the law?

Open Letter to the Citizens of Gloucester County Virginia


Again, I had planned to return to the State Constitution today; however, reading several of Mr Thompson’s stories over the weekend I must deviate from my plan.

The Gloucester Board of Supervisors continues to show a lack of leadership capability.

 1.  They have either directly allowed the Animal Control Ordnance they changed in February to be ignored allowing the previous ordnance to stay on the site or indirectly by the staff, County Administrator and County Attorney, to do what they want and not update the site to reflect the new ordnance.

2.  They have given a raise to these two employees who it appears are incapable of updating or overseeing the updating of a simple website in violation of county ordnance and state code.

3.  Have put out a request for bids on a school, monument to stupidity, which is not needed by the county.  If the school is needed so badly why did they allow an elementary school to be closed – lack of students perhaps? And a functional middle school that could have been repaired and used to be destroyed.  Fraud, waste, and abuse comes to mind.

Mr. Thompson has in an article today that it appears the Board of Supervisors are in violation of their oath of office.  Should the County Administrator and County Attorney be considered also in violation for the ordnance not being updated?  Insurance companies and the Federal Government will not cover any expenses of employees/persons that are in violation of the law nor do I believe is the case of the state.  These people should be held personally responsible for any actions they perform that are in violation of the law or damages that result from these violations.

The oversight to updating/changing of the animal control ordnance seems to be a deliberate act.  The Gloucester-Mathews Gazette-Journal always reports public hearings and the results of these hearings especially if there is a change in the ordnance.  They have not reported a change to the county ordnance or that the county voted on the change and it was approved seven to zero.  Mr. Thompson has the open hearing and vote on his web site, because the same night some appearances of law infractions were also seen.  Why would the paper not report the ordnance change?  Because they knew the county had no intention of updating the ordnance?  These and other questions need to be answered.

The more I see of this board the more I am convinced that the citizens of the county should tell the Board at the open hearing for the school bond “WE ARE AGAINST TAKING ON ADDITIONAL DEBT by you and the school board until you can provide us with answers to why you need a new school and what it will be used for?  If we are closing an elementary school because of lack of students how does that justify the need for a new Middle school?  Because is not an answer, we want straight answers not babble.

I have a question – how do you put out a request for bid on the new school when you do not have the money approved?  Is it because you will approve the bond regardless of what people present to you at the hearing?

Our State Representative, Mr Hodges has not supported the Gloucester County Board of Supervisors in recent request they have made, specifically expanding the water/waste water operations.  Based on your actions he should continue to not support the Gloucester County Board of Supervisors.  This County deserves LEADERS like Mr. Hodges. 

After you tell the Board you do not support them going forward with the bond.  Tell the Gazette-Journal you will not support them if they do not report the news and cancel your subscription.  I am not a lawyer, but have questions that are not being answered.

 “For the Common Good. “

Sincerely,
Alexander James Jay

PS:  You can send email directly to me at AlexanderJamesJay@gmail.com  Do not send anything you would not want to be viewed on this blog.  I will withhold your name when sending letters to Mr Thompson.  Also friend me on Facebook Alexander James Jay in Gloucester, VA.
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Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Gloucester County Board of Supervisors continues to elude Public Trust

Open Letter to the Citizens of Gloucester County Virginia



I had planned to return to the State Constitution today; however, reading the Gloucester-Mathews Gazette-Journal, dated July 11, 2013, and several of Mr Thompson’s stories over the weekend I must deviate from my plan.

The Gloucester County Board of Supervisors continues to violate the public trust with the total disregard of prudent stewardship of the funds entrusted to them for county funding.  Giving county employees a paid day off on 5 July, knowing that their federal employee neighbors were given multiple days off without pay, violates our trust and your duties as supervisors.  To be fair to the taxpayers you could eliminate 5 jobs to pay for this.  Where can we find 5 jobs you ask – get rid of Animal Control and replace them with one part time person to review license and rabies certificates as required by the Virginia Code.  They have not done anything since you brought part of the code into compliance with Virginia Law, as reported by the Gloucester-Mathews Gazette-Journal or actually not reported by them.  If you want to spend money then you need to cut it from some other part of the budget; that is what the rest of us have to do.

The next issue Gloucester County Board of Supervisors violates the public trust is the pay raises for county employees why only two? Why not the working people in the county?  I have to wonder if the Board of Supervisors are total incompetent based on the latest story from Mr. Thompson on Ted Wilmot (new salary $126,819), http://www.gloucestercounty-va.com/2013/07/gloucester-county-attorney-ted-wilmot.html.  I have no comment on County Administrator Brenda Garton’s (new salary $152,863) raise other than why now, the economy does not support it.  What jobs will you eliminate to pay for these raises?  I saw in the Daily Press on Sunday the salaries of the people across the water that is the concern of the tax payer over there.  Let the underpaid people leave and go somewhere else.  People are not leaving jobs in this economy and if they did there are a lot others to take their place.  Also it is a lot cheaper to live in Gloucester than on the other side of the river.

Now I want to discuss potentially the most blatant violation if they do not vote no, of the Board of Supervisors and the County School Board.  Not since Moses went up on the mountain to get the Law from God and the rest of the people collected all of the Gold to make a golden calf has there been another case of monument building by any people.  The school age population is decreasing; the ability to teach on line by public and private schools reduces the need for physical buildings for our youth to get an education.  Both boards have shown they are not capable of making fiscal responsible decisions since they voted to tear down the existing building and to build new.  If new is the way to go build a $12 million school, funds you all ready have.  You are asking for an additional $17 million for your monument to greatness.  Monuments to greatness are no promise of a better education.  Based on typical government projects if this is approved based on past government projects the school will end up costing not $24-29 million, but more likely in the range of $50-100 million before the doors are opened to the first student.  We do not need this type of irresponsible spending by people that are looking to build a monument to their greatness.  What has the board accomplished besides spending money?  Tell the Board of Supervisors at the public hearing next month.  The Gazette-Journal did not publish when the public hearing will be next month; check the blog for the date.  People of Gloucester let your representative know this is not how we want to spend our limited education budget on a monument to stupidity, we want responsibility in our elected officials and if do not get it we will vote for people that will give it to us.  IF you want to do this what are you going to cut out of the budget to pay for this monument?  You are paid to make the hard decisions.

Ms. Theberge was voted out as the Republican Candidate for Gloucester County At Large Supervisor in June because of her violation of public trust and failure to listen to the people she represents.  Three new supervisions will start in January of 2014.  This Blog Site does remember history and will reuse stories.  The four members that are not currently up for reelection your vote on this matter will be put in front of the voters when you come up for reelection.  Vote no for any bonds and increase in taxes and yes for being good stewards of the public funds and achieve the public trust.  The only monument the School Board should be building is students that can go anywhere and do anything because of a high caliber education.

“For the Common Good. “

Sincerely,
Alexander James Jay


This is a good time for an historical reminder.  Common Sense, the document that fueled the American Revolution and brought about the Declaration of Independence.  The suppressed history of our nation that most would have you forget.  We are putting up a copy here for everyone to read.


http://www.putlocker.com/file/9DCB3D8BBBAB7EA2  Here is a link to a free PDF file download of this document.  You can download it also from our SlideShare site but you will need to log in with either a FaceBook account or a LinkedIn account for the free download there.  Or just read it here online.

Don't want to read it?  Well you can hear it instead here.



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Thursday, May 17, 2012

Gloucester County Board Of Supervisors Being Given A Chance


Gloucester County Board Of Supervisors Being Given A Chance

On Tuesday, May 15th, 2010, the Gloucester County Board of Supervisors each received an email from us regarding the information presently being presented on this site. We are hoping to give them a chance to properly investigate these issues as well as eventually address many other issues we have in this case and do what needs to be done. We expect to be updated with developments as they go along.

Here is an overview of this case as it presently stands. Both a victim and her husband suffered an illegal raid on their home and property. The husband was out of town at the time the raid took place. The raid was highly traumatic for this victim and her husband and they both suffer greatly from it to this day. The victim was highly abused the morning of this raid however evidence of such has been removed by the criminals in this case. The victim was illegally arrested, never read her Miranda rights, and was later forced to post an incredibly high bond to be released from jail. While in jail, the victim was horribly treated and denied her medications until the county nurse stepped in and demanded that the Sheriff's Office do something about her condition. She was hospitalized the next day.

This couple was later railroaded by the court system here in Gloucester. The victim was never allowed to speak on her own behalf and all witnesses were denied standing. The victim was forced into a guilty plea by extremely underhanded measures. The victim lost her security clearance for the government job she had held for over twenty four years and lost her job because of such. The victim is unable to get a job and has been denied jobs she was being offered based on negative information stemming directly from this case. All of this is well documented.



To date, the culprits in this case have gotten away with these acts. This is the first time anyone is seeing the evidence of this case. We have only presented a very small part of what we have. We also have pictures from the raid that were taken by Animal Control and let me say that some of them are despicable. We will be publishing those in the future. We have video footage and we have all the testimony from the actual kangaroo court. And we are still no where near done with this story.



We are dramatically slowing down our publishing of evidence in a goodwill gesture for the county Board of Supervisors to catch up and start acting on these findings. We expect to hear from them soon and will update this site with such.


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