After reading “Our View” under the Opinion section of the January 6 issue of The Commercial Dispatch, I feel compelled to offer a written response to the headline “Approving raises now would be grossly irresponsible.” In this section the writer states “In explaining why we don’t have that number yet, (response to the question of when the raise will happen from select Council Members) city Human Resources Director Pat Mitchell has said it would be impossible to calculate the true cost of the suggested 75-cent per hour raise because of other costs associated with the raise, primarily overtime and benefits.” Then the writer continues by saying that’s an odd claim to make. Since the article cited my name as making that statement, I am offering a statement to clear the record. First of all, “impossible” is not a term that is used in my vocabulary. To accept the impossible is to accept defeat. I am not perfect and never claimed to be, but I refused to be defeated. Now, if I recall correctly, I said it would be difficult. I also stated that I had performed a calculation of a 40-hour-a-week employee and cited an estimated amount. Payroll is conducted bi-weekly. One half of the City employees work shifts, twelve hours and twenty-four hours with overtime after a certain ceiling. The easy part of this equation is to add the 75 cents per hour to every employee’s pay. The problem that many can’t seem to comprehend or understand the complexities of this process is I must maintain accurate records (for auditing purposes) of the CARES Funds spent and ensure that the increase is halted when the allotted funds are exhausted.
All things are possible.
Pat Mitchell, Columbus
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
