City Employee Raises, Southside Key Topics at Budget Forum

General wage and step pay raises for all city employees along with economic development in south St. Pete were the key issues brought up at the June 12 city budget forum. 

Dozens of current and former city employees stepped up to the mic at the third and final budget summit for the fiscal year 2014 budget. All said it had been between three and seven years since raises were given. 

For employees enough is enough. 

"We want equal pay for all," said Robin Wynn. "Restore equal pay for equal work immediately."

While not putting down the importance of the city's police and fire departments, members of parks and rec, water management, maintenance and various other departments argued that all are important for a city to properly function.

Paula Witthaus said all the departments are equally important. It’s important that the water is clean with the faucet is turned on and the trash is picked up on time.  

"Stop outsourcing money to other places," she said. 

Dennis Coley, a mechanic with the city's fleet maintenance department, said the city would lose quality employees if fair raises were not given.  

"If you don’t have step (raises) to keep (employees) around you're not going to have top notch employees," Coley said. 

He said the city would be relegated to having to deal with constant turnover.

"We need to give these people the fair steps," he said.

Mayor Bill Foster said the city is in a collective-bargaining session in attempts to get city employees wage increases. 

"I announced a year ago that due to projections I thought we could do a general wage increase this year," Foster said Wednesday night. "You’ve earned it and I support that and (a general wage increase) are in the budget."

Lisa Wheeler-Brown, President of the Wildwood Heights Neighborhood Association, said almost all problems in south St. Pete can be traced to the lack of activities and jobs for youth in St. Pete. 

"Our kids need jobs. They need to know that there are opportunities out there for them. How do we plan to sustain our City without offering hope to the younger generations? Without them, there is no future for St. Petersburg," Wheeler-Brown said.

"It’s a sad commentary when drugs are the biggest employers of the south side," said Rev. Manuel Sykes. "Economics drive either good or bad stuff." 

Former city council member and state legislator, and current mayor candidate, Rick Kriseman said the budget forms that St. Pete becomes in the future. 

"A budget defines who you are as a community," he said "Defines what your values are. Defines what your beliefs are.

"When you leave here and when you go to work on this budget, take (public comments) to heart. The work that you do will define who we are moving forward," Kriseman added.

The next steps for the fiscal year 2014 budget is Foster's submission of a balanced budget to city council in July. 

After he submits his budget there will be two public hearings on the budget: Sept. 12 and Sept. 26. 

Budget director Tom Greene announced at the June 12 budget summit that due to higher than projected property values, the city would have to cut less than originally planned. 

The city, he said, will see a 3.74 percent increase in property values in 2014. 

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