Some years ago, Jefferson began naming each councilman as a liaison to a city department. In theory, that probably looked like a good idea, but the reality has been a nightmare for administration. Tension between council members over inter-departmental issues is often evident at council meetings and is widely discussed outside those monthly meetings. In short, council members compete with each other for status, turf and funding. That's especially true with departmental pay scales.
Some employees are underpaid and others overpaid.
No one really evaluates employee performance in the city and pay has traditionally been more about longevity than about education, qualifications or the level of responsibility. Compounding the problem is the lack of restraint by the council itself. He said the increase wasn't in the budget and wasn't fair to other departments. Other councilmen echoed the same thing. The truth is, there is no objective, overall look at the city's pay rates, nor is there objective oversight of the departments.