Letters: Putting council's 'massive' salary cost increases into perspective

Tauranga City Council's administration building on the corner of Wharf St and Willow St. Photo / File

The revelation the government-appointed commission has proposed an increase, for the 2021/22 financial year, in Tauranga City Council salary costs, from $66.3 million to $80.5m as reported (News, April 1) justifiably deserves comment.

One of the justifications submitted was that there was a required catch-up from Covid, after salary costs were frozen.

However, my contention would be that bureaucrats such as council staff and public servants were probably the most unaffected from Covid-19 as who recalls how many bureaucrats were actually laid off or expected to accept reduced hours?

Putting this massive, proposed increase in salary costs into perspective, the $14.2m increase would effectively employ 142 additional fulltime equivalent based on $100,000 per FTE - which, in my view, seems quite unbelievable.

Another issue of course is once FTE numbers increase, even as projects are completed, we seldom see staff numbers fall as is proven by there being an expected increase of an additional $5m, to $85.5m, in the 2022-2023 financial year.

(Abridged)

Mike Baker
Tauranga

Is the council hiring?

Re Simon Bridges expressing the view that the proposed city council salary cost increases were a "disgrace" (News, April 1) -- I have to agree.

The total figure for the combined salaries is to be $80.5m. If we lump all the salaries, irrespective of the highest and the lowest, out of 727 fulltime equivalents, we calculate an average salary of $110,729 per worker.

How can I get a job with the council?

Based on that, some of the higher-paid staff must be paid unbelievable salaries.

As to the amount of people the council employed, it is well out proportion compared to the private sector.

It would not be surprising to find that there is a manager to control the tea breaks.

Once upon a time, public servants were poorly paid in comparison to the private sector.

Not anymore.

James Newman
Tauranga

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