70 % Pay Raise Unjustified & EXCESSIVE

                FOIA EXPOSES $6,296 AVERAGE                              COUNTY PAY RAISE    

               70 % PAY RAISE UNJUSTIFIED & EXCESSIVE 

The Blount County Commission has already recommended for approval on January 17,  FINAL VOTE IS Thursday February 21, 7pm Rm 430 Historic Courthouse

            The contemptuous abuse of new Commissioners and distracted voters by the Berrong/Mitchel administration almost passed this resolution in January but for some disgruntled employees who got to Chairman French the resolution had to remove the Sheriff's 75% pay scale, and give all the employees
an increase from the 65% of market to 70%.   The reason for the increase given by the Director for Human Resources was that the employment "market" is allegedly taking county employees with experience and proficiency away from our service and costing us more to train their replacement.  I thought that was why we built a driving track and training facility with shooting range years ago was to make money training new hires and other Sheriff's deputies.

             I say UNJUSTIFIED because NOT ONE EXAMPLE OF HAVING REPLACED AN EMPLOYEE IS PRESENTED, IN FACT NO EVIDENCE OF HOW MANY EMPLOYEES HAVE DEPARTED FOR MORE PAY HAS BEEN GIVEN!!!

             The unsubstantiated excessive pay increase if implemented AVERAGES $6,296 PER EMPLOYEE, for example the least amount of pay raise is pay grade 301 for $4098 while the at Mayor gets a raise of $12,357 for an total annual pay of $125,867.

                 Why do I claim the pay raise to be EXCESSIVE?  
          The per ca pita taxpayer income in (2017 dollars from 2013 to 2017) for Blount County was $28,334 compared compared to the present per ca pita income of County Employees is $42,129 or 
$13,795 more that the taxpayer making almost 50% less.  When we calculate the using the new proposed
pay scale the per ca pita income of County Employees is $48,425 a difference of $20,091 more that the
TAXPAYER IS EARNING  70 % LESS THAN THE PER CA PITA COUNTY EMPLOYEE . 
          Commissioner Akard, local business owner said in the January Commission “the proposal does a whole lot more than PAD OUR RE-ELECTION POSSIBILITIES”. While Commissioner Caylor, Maryville Fire Department Employee wished a lot of other Commissioners would object to Commissioner Akard's statement that this pay raise is some how a Quid Pro Quo to get re-elected as WBCR AM 1470 General Manager Harry Grothjahn suggested in his Comments on Items on the agenda earlier in the meeting.
         This modified 20 position Pay Scale and 19 Step compensation plan by Evergreen for 671 County employees including all elected officials "will be presented to the Commission in the form of a new resolution for approval" according to the "DRAFT Minutes" of January's Commission Meeting will  , Thursday February 21 at 7pm room 430.
         You are welcome to do the math yourself. The FOIA request from the Blount County Human Resource Department for the current pay scale starts with Pay Grade 101 while the 70% of Market Pay Scale begins with 301.  The current pay scale is from Exhibit 2A of the December 20, 2018 Draft Proposal.  
             

Rank            60%           70%   of Highest Competing Employers Pay Grades

Grade       Present    Proposed Inc./Emp.    Employees/grade     Total Cost Inc.      Cost 70% Total Cost

in Grade

101/301      26,903       31,001     4,098                  18                          73,764                   558,018

102/302      29,190       33,637     4,447                  42                        186,774                1,412,754

103/303      31,671       36,496     4,825                  49                        236,425                1,788,304

104/304      34,363       39,598     5,235                  57                        298,395                2,257,086

105/305      37,284       42,964     5,680                  80                        454,400                3,437,120

106/306      40,453       46,616     6,163                229                      1,411,327             10,675,064

107/307      43,892       50,579     6,687                  44                        294,228                2,225,476

108/308      47,623       54,878     7,255                  41                        297,455                2,249,998

109/309      51,671       59,543     7,872                  30                        236,160                1,786,290

110/310      56,063       64,604     8,541                  23                        196,443                1,485,892

111/311       60,829      70,096     9,267                   23                        213,141                1,612,208

112/312      65,999      76,054   10,055                   12                        120,660                   912,648

113/313      73,046      80,998      7,952                   8                           63,616                   647,984

114/314      77,794      86,262      8,468                   3                           25,404                   258,786

115/315      82,850      91,869      9,019                   6                           54,114                   551,214

116/316      88,235      97,840      9,605                   3                           28,815                   293,520

117/317      93,969    104,199    10,230                   1                           10,230                   104,199

118/318    100,078     110,972   10,894                   1                           10,894                   110,972

119/319    106,582     118,184   11,602                   0

120/320    113,510     125,867   12,357                  1                            12,357                   125,867

                                                                             671                      4,224,612             32,493,400

Average Employee Pay Raise Proposed is $6,296.