There is no silver lining in the cloud over Youngstown

What’s wrong with this picture: Seven Youngs-town police officers are taking early retirement which should save government at least $200,000 for the rest of the year, but will actually cost the public treasury more than that?

The answer to the question: Nothing. It is, after all, the public sector we’re talking about.

The reason why the financially strapped city will not derive any benefit this year from the departure of the seven officers will come as no surprise to private sector taxpayers who are of the belief that greed is the underlying principle of public employment.

Consider: The seven, whose base salaries range from $62,541.30 to $82,710.87, will be walking away with big bucks for sick leave and vacation time they did not take while working for the city.

For readers unable to grasp the concept, it’s quite simple: Public employees see themselves as so indispensable that they crawl out of their sick beds to get to work and forgo vacations just so they can serve the public.

Such dedication deserves to be rewarded, which it is — when the employees are getting ready to depart. While they get paid for only a percentage of the accumulated sick time and a limited number of unused vacation days, the rate is based on their final year’s salary. In other words, there is definite financial benefit in not taking sick days or vacations.

Fantasy world

Therein lies the problem with government. It is a fantasy world in an era of collapsing economies, rising joblessness, especially in the private sector, and postponed retirement plans.

The city of Youngstown’s operating budget is bleeding red ink and Mayor Jay Williams and his administration must come up with $1.15 million in cuts for 2009.

It’s a tall order. The bottom line: Layoffs are inevitable.

But as we have pointed out in the past, the current economic challenges are an opportunity for city government to undertake a top-to-bottom review of its operations and institute changes that reflect a shrinking tax base and an aging population.

Given that at least 80 percent of the general fund goes for employees’ salaries and benefits, there needs to be a reassessment of the compensation packages. The current system of base pay, overtime, extra pay, allowances, and a significant contribution by the city toward employees’ pensions cannot be sustained

Indeed, the mayor and city council should disabuse themselves of the notion that salaries need be competitive with other cities. That’s nonsense. Jobs, even in the public sector, aren’t that plentiful and there is little danger of Youngstown city workers being courted by other communities.