Your Turn
— Comments may be sent to the Marion County Record, PO Box 278, Marion, e-mailed to news@marionrecord.com, or brought to the office at 117 S. Third St. Please keep comments brief.
The short-term disability insurance county employees have the option to buy does not go into effect until the employee has been off work two weeks, has used all sick leave, vacation, and comp time. Then it only pays part of the employee's monthly salary. Sick leave pays 100 percent.
Randy Dallke, are you trying to shortchange county employees again? Yes, county employees get 12 days of sick leave a year, but do not get cost of living raises — or any raises for the past two years. Leave our sick leave alone!
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There are other businesses that provide at least 12 days of sick leave per year. Mr. Dallke, are you against using sick leave, or not using it and accumulating it? County R&B employees who use sick leave don't cost the county a dime — or are there paid substitutes out there that employees don't know about? And how many other jobs consider employees "on call 24/7" (like the county does) or require working (pushing snow) on weekends or holidays for no pay? County employees work for benefits (health insurance, sick leave, etc.) as the pay is not decent.
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City councilman Bill Holdeman was negative as a commissioner in Newton, also. Progressivism is survival, Marion. Wake up or die.
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Think about this: Marion City Council recently gave the police chief a 14 percent salary increase after five months on the job. Wow! What will he get after 12 months on the job? At the same time, the council denied a request for a four percent increase by the economic development director
