SPEND IT IF YOU'VE GOT IT

When opposing the passage of Amendment 1 in January, many local governments cried poor, saying that their employees made less, on average, than similar employees working in the private sector. Turns out that’s not true, according to an analysis conducted by The Orlando Sentinel. Between 2001 and 2006, the average salary of a local government worker rose by 20 percent and, according to the Sentinel, is now higher than comparable workers in the private sector. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics recorded an average $38,000 salary for Florida business workers in 2006, and an average salary of $41,000 for the state’s local government workers – numbers that don’t include benefits, which, nationally, equal about $39.50 per hour for government workers and $26.09 for business employees. The Sentinel analysis found that Florida’s local governments raised salaries an average of 6 percent in 2004, 3.2 percent in 2005 and 3.3 percent in 2006. Businesses must answer to stockholders, and many benefits, such as health insurance coverage, have been cut in the private sector. But for local governments, voters are the stockholders, and The Sentinel’s editorial board notes that passage of Amendment 1 not only lowered property taxes but was a clear message from voters that enough is enough.

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