By Darren DaRonco | Arizona Daily Star
Pay raises the City Council thought would total $5.3 million when it approved them last month are now going to cost taxpayers $11 million a year.
Despite the higher cost estimates, the council voted 6-1 to scrap the previously approved 55-cent-an-hour across-the-board increase. In its place, the council approved a proposal by City Manager Richard Miranda that retains the 55-cent-an-hour raise for most workers but provides significantly larger raises for most public safety dispatchers and commissioned officers.
When the council first approved raises, the cost was estimated at $5.3 million a year. But that didn’t include Tucson Water, city golf and environmental services, which are funded with their own fees, raising the total to $8 million.
While Miranda’s plan pushes costs up another $3 million, it contains a provision for the council to come back in the fall and rescind the raises if the city can’t find money to pay for them. Most of the increases won’t take effect until Jan. 1, which will lessen the first-year financial impact.
