Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/112475
Sarasota News Leader March 1, 2013 Page 13 Today four of the five city commissioners are retired. Should city commissioners be paid a living wage? Holland: I have heard that argument that we would have better candidates if that were the case, and that could very well be a possibility. It was proposed by the Charter Review Board, but the City Commission took it off the ballot. Holland: I do recall that. I would imagine one of the considerations the City Commission gave was the budget issue. That would be a difficult thing for the community to accept, given the budget constraints, staff being laid off, services being cut. It was probably a timing thing at that point. Maybe at some future time it could be considered again. The concept through the years [is that] it is a part-time job because they meet at night, and I think that people have always considered [it] a part-time job. But the reality is, if they really do their job, it is not a parttime job. I think the reality is they do need to be better compensated, but I think the budget issues currently probably prohibit that from being feasible. Susan Chapman/Photo by Stan Zimmerman several years, and under the last city manager, the staff I talk to ��� and I spend a lot of time in City Hall because I���m so active in neighborhood stuff ��� a lot of the staff love this city and love their jobs but want to be treated with recognition for sacrificing some of the If we���re not going to raise salaries, how monetary aspects. does the city attract new and younger leadership? Is there something else we We���re getting a lot of retirements now, people can do? here 15, 20 and even 30 years. They didn���t do it for just the benefits. They did it because they Holland: With the budget constraints and trylove the city and love working with the citiing to pull in retirement costs, pension and zens of the community. New people coming in health costs, it doesn���t appear we have any need to have that feeling, too ��� to feel they ability to use the benefit package as a way to are respected by the supervisors and commisbring them in. I think we have to have a good sioners and the rest of the community. working environment at City Hall ��� very inviting ��� and there���s no question over the last ��� ��� ���