By PATRICK JACKSON
The News Journal
05/17/2005
DOVER -- One raise per year is enough, members of the Joint Finance Committee decided on Monday, approving higher pay for most state workers but denying themselves the same boost.
Committee members decided to write the General Assembly, statewide elected officials and members of Gov. Ruth Ann Minner's Cabinet out of the raise package they're giving other state workers as they begin their rewrite of Minner's $2.77 billion budget proposal.
"It's the right thing to do," said Rep. Dennis Williams, D-Wilmington North. "All of us got a raise from the compensation commission at the end of January. There was no need to give ourselves another raise again in May."
The committee spent much of the day in closed session, reviewing economic forecasts and debating pay for state workers.
When they came out, committee members voted to approve a raise package of about $47.7 million, roughly $15.9 million more than Minner called for in her January spending plan. The committee has the last word on money issues, as the General Assembly traditionally approves the budget it submits with little or no debate.
"We think this is a fair adjustment that will provide a lot of help to people at the lower end of the pay scale," said State Budget Director Jennifer "JJ" Davis. "We have no problem going along with it."
Under the state constitution, the budget must be in place by June 30. The committee will make most of its revisions this week and next, but traditionally comes back for final adjustments in mid-June, after the Delaware Economic and Financial Advisory Council's last revenue forecast.
The raises cover employees at the state's prisons, but committee members said they would be addressing other issues surrounding salary and benefits for concerning those workers before they finish revising the budget.
Committee members said Monday's steps were a good start.
"We have been working hard to make sure what we do helps those who need it most, and we think this plan does that," said. Rep. Joe Di Pinto, R-Wilmington West, the committee's co-chairman. "We're getting more money and we think this is a good place to use some of it."
Contact Patrick Jackson at 678-4274 or pjackson@delawareonline.com.
