Added income to firefighters, police, drive up Boston's payroll
Massachusetts is already facing a significant budget crisis and those advocating cuts are pointing to payroll bumps among Boston firefighters and policemen as a culprit for the commonwealth's increased spending.
According to the Boston Globe, Massachusetts' capital city experienced a 3 percent overall increase in payroll in part due to large expenditures in retroactive pay made out to Boston's emergency services personnel. The paper reports that the city's fire brigades received a cumulative $48.2 million in back pay, while the police department received $18.7 million covering 16 years of owed payments.
"This year there were some outside decisions that increased our personnel costs more than we would like," Meredith Weenick, the city’s acting director of administration and finance, told the Globe. "But we will continue to push the envelope of reform to make more progress in the future for the taxpayers."
The bulk payments will do little to solve the commonwealth's budgetary shortcomings. According to the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, the commonwealth entered 2011 with a budget deficit reaching $5 billion.
According to the Boston Globe, Massachusetts' capital city experienced a 3 percent overall increase in payroll in part due to large expenditures in retroactive pay made out to Boston's emergency services personnel. The paper reports that the city's fire brigades received a cumulative $48.2 million in back pay, while the police department received $18.7 million covering 16 years of owed payments.
"This year there were some outside decisions that increased our personnel costs more than we would like," Meredith Weenick, the city’s acting director of administration and finance, told the Globe. "But we will continue to push the envelope of reform to make more progress in the future for the taxpayers."
The bulk payments will do little to solve the commonwealth's budgetary shortcomings. According to the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, the commonwealth entered 2011 with a budget deficit reaching $5 billion.
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