Gotham City: City Council Sleight of Hand

Gotham City:
Telling Tales of Our Capital Region's Politics

City Council Sleight of Hand

by Frank Pizzoli

Ann Landers was at a party when an elected official said, “So, you’re Ann Landers. Say something funny.” Without hesitation she said, “You’re a politician. Tell me a lie.”

With the 50 percent pay raise Harrisburg City Council recently awarded itself, effective 2002, they didn’t overtly lie. And what they did isn’t the least bit funny. They conveniently scrambled the pay increase issue by approving it on the same night Mayor Reed presented the city’s fiscal year 2000 budget. The two issues are addressed in separate pieces of city legislation and require separate actions to cement.

Let me explain the political maneuvering at work.

Regarding council’s pay raise, here is what happened. On November 23 council “received” from Mayor Reed his proposed city budget for 2000, a document which calls for a 28 percent real estate tax increase. That same night, council “approved” a whopping 50 percent pay raise

Regarding the city’s 2000 budget, council has until midnight December 31 to finally approve. Regarding the pay raise, the clock runs out on December 13. City council had scheduled, then cancelled, a meeting for December 7 at which time they could have voted an “override” of the controversial pay hike. Have they lost their five-block vote? Have they brought upon themselves a controversy they thought could be dismissed with the usual political backtracking?

If the public wants to have any impact on reversing or supporting the pay increase, there is a complicated process that must be understood. A process not explained or aired in public by any member of city council.

And it goes like this. When a city council of a Third Class City like Harrisburg passes legislation, like the pay raise passed on November 23, a “20 day” rule goes into effect. The 20-day rule is split into two, 10-day sections, which in this instance makes December 3 and December 13 significant dates.

During this 20-day period of time, a mayor of a Third Class City has three choices: sign the legislation, in this case, the pay raise; not sign the legislation, wait out the 20 days in which case the matter becomes law; or, veto the legislation by December 3, which the Mayor did.

Now comes the cynical part. City council has scheduled two public meetings. One for December 13. Another for December 14. Both to seek input — not on their pay raise since the time to accept or reject expires the day of their first public meeting — but on the 2000 budget. How many taxpayers do you think really understand that distinction between the two controversial pieces of budgetary legislation? How many taxpayers understand the flurry of dates involved? They’re all busy pinching pennies for next year’s tax increase. If they do understand, it’s not because anyone on council explained how the system works.

So, if community residents footing the bill for a 50 percent pay raise, most of whom receive a 2 to 4 percent annual pay increase, object to the size of the increase, so what? If they think the two public meetings are to discuss the pay raise, they are misled. Why do we think council knows all this, even planned it to happen this way? By comparison the state legislature, not known for being stingy with taxpayers money when granting itself benefits, took only a 2.4 percent pay increase last week, a hike signed into law by Governor Tom Ridge in 1995. If I remember correctly, the deal there was that he wanted to raise cabinet members’ salaries, so he had to make it “Christmas” for everybody.

As orchestrated by city council, voters will have to wait until 2002 before showing approval or disapproval at the polls of this 50% pay raise. Most will forget. Or will they? There is another disturbing feature to all this pay raise stuff.

It appears as if current council members see themselves holding their seats for many years to come, thereby joining the not-so-admired class known as “professional politicians.”

To govern is to decide how revenue raised from taxes is spent. To vote is to choose who governs best. Harrisburg City Council is not governing in the best interests of city taxpayers. The next city council election holds the promise of interesting results. With the clock ticking on the December 13 deadline for final action on their pay hike, give city council your feedback. Call 255-3060.

At press time, the conveniently cancelled December 7 meeting was rescheduled for December 10, at noon.