"67 percent of municipal payroll goes to those paying taxes elsewhere"

[CTyankee]

Should my city charge a fee for city workers who live and pay taxes in other communities?

A group of New Haven Alderman think so: http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2010/08/26/news/new_haven/doc4c75e8fdf0731915153554.txt

Currently, non-union management positions require living in the city, union members do not. However, New Haven residents are given preference in hiring (along with Veterans preference).

This a fairness issue for people on both sides of this argument and puts another wrinkle in the controversy over government employees salaries and benefits.

What do you think?

[Gaedel]

1. When I worked for the City of Detroit........

Many years ago, I was a civil service employee in the City of Detroit. I was required to live in the city and had to show a Detroit address when I was in-processed as a new hire.

It sounds like the unions negotiated away such a rule in New Haven for their members while the non-union employees are still required to live in the city.

I don't see it as a case of "right" or "wrong", it is just up to each city as an employer to determine their own rules (and negotiate them with their unions).

[ThomWV]

2. Hell no!

[CTyankee]

4. Honestly, as a New Haven resident whose spouse was a city worker (union),

I can see both sides...but it's tough because I know city workers who do not live in New Haven and I don't really like the idea of them having to essentially "pay extra" just for their job. It strikes me as punitive.

My guess is that this is not going to happen...it will be interesting at the next Aldermanic meeting when the "public is invited" to give their input...

:popcorn:

[hobbit709]

3. Some cities aren't affordable to their employees.

Do they get a COLA for staying in that city? If you believe that I got a bridge for you.

[CTyankee]

5. No COLA. But they do get preference in hiring and that's no small thing.

We pay pretty high taxes in New Haven. However, we have quite a few city and state employees in my neighborhood. And lots of retired ones, too. But I think that as cities get poorer the middle class in the city shrinks and that's too bad...

[hobbit709]

6. A few years ago they had a squawk here about that.

People were buying houses outside of Austin because they weren't paid enough by the city/county/school district to buy one IN Austin after housing prices skyrocketed about 6 times faster than salaries.

[CTyankee]

7. Luckily, most people on my block who are gov. employees at some level bought their

houses when they were truly affordable. As they age out, they are trying to sell them and downsize and finding no buyers...houses on my block are not typically very large...and they are convenient to a bus line running downtown and to supermarkets and neighborhood restaurants...it's a nice place to live...

[X_Digger]

8. Hell no.

Encourage it? Sure. Give incentives for doing so? Absolutely. Require it? No. Penalize non-compliance? Oh hell no.

If an employee is willing to pay the extra gas and vehicle upkeep or public transit costs required to commute in, what business is it of the local government?

Reminds me of the 'company towns' of coal mining operations from times past.

[mtnester]

9. I pay income tax where I work AND where I live

and I cannot believe anyone thinks, other than those stupid council/cronies in the news with their mega salaries, that the BULK of government workers make a lot of money. They DON'T.

I pay double local income taxes with NO more credits paid to other entities (all municipalities used to give a partial credit if you paid to another city as well, they do NOT any more), contribute my share to my pension (and it is matched, but so is Social Security if you pay into that, which I also have done at other jobs for years and will not get), pay my same share to Medicare each pay, and have been on my job for more than 18 years, and do not, after more than 18 years, make over 45,000.00.

it is pathetic what my annual statement says will be my retirement amount - and it is not much more than it was before the stock market took a crap WAY back on 9/11/01...still recovering those lost dollars...every single time the stock market goes down, it is that much longer I have to work.

So, no mansion for me.