Bristol Herald Courier: News partners launch second salaries project
News Partners Launch Second Salaries Project
http://www.tricities.com/tristate/tri/news.PrintView.-content-articles-TRI-2008-03-18-0006.html
Tuesday, Mar 18, 2008 - 12:00 AM Updated: 08:32 AM
By Bristol Herald Courier Staff Reports
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Sunday kicked off Sunshine Week across the United States. It’s an annual effort to educate the public about the need for open government and freedom of information.
In honor of the fourth annual event, the Bristol Herald Courier, TriCities.com and News Channel 11 will work to stress the importance of open government. The centerpiece of that effort will be Phase II of our online salaries project.
In December, the Herald Courier posted online the salaries of public officials in 65 cities, towns, counties and school systems, including Bristol, Johnson City, Kingsport and locales across Southwest Virginia.
Residents in overwhelming numbers across the rest of Northeast Tennessee jumped on the bandwagon and requested the data from their locales.
For the past 10 weeks, TriCities.com has gathered the additional salaries and will post that data online starting today. Visit the database here.
This is public information that will help taxpayers gauge whether their public officials earn too much or too little, and whether disparities exist across town and county borders.
It also will help local governments compare their pay with neighbors to ensure their workers are getting a fair shake.
"We are a government of the people, by the people and for the people," said Frank Gibson, executive director of the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government.
TCOG is a nonprofit organization dedicated to keeping government open and notes that the names, positions and salaries of public employees must be released under state law.
"We’ve found cases where public employees have gotten twice as much in overtime as their salary," Gibson said. "So to protect the public from abuse and wasteful spending, the information should be available to the public."
In this second round of data gathering, TriCities.com collected salaries from 25 of the 26 agencies petitioned. Only Greene County has not complied, but efforts -- including possible legal action -- will continue to ensure those records are turned over to the public.
"With all due respect, I can’t see this as doing anything other than stirring up trouble, to be frank with you," said Greene County Mayor Alan Broyles.
Broyles and county Budget Director David Lawing have been balking since they were petitioned in early January for the public records.
The following Tennessee jurisdictions have complied with state law and turned over salary data and are included in Phase II of the online database: Washington County government and schools; the town of Jonesborough; Greene County schools; the city of Greeneville and its school system; Unicoi County government and schools; the towns of Unicoi and Erwin; Carter County government and schools; the city of Elizabethton and its school system; Hawkins County government and schools; the town of Rogersville and its schools; Johnson County government and schools; the town of Mountain City; Greeneville Light and Power; Johnson City Power Board; Erwin Utilities and Elizabethton Electric.
Any jurisdictions overlooked or out of compliance with state law will be added to the database as soon as possible.
Nate Morabito of News Channel 11, J. Todd Foster of the Bristol Herald Courier and Christine Riser of TriCities.com reported this story.
http://www.tricities.com/tristate/tri/news.PrintView.-content-articles-TRI-2008-03-18-0006.html
Tuesday, Mar 18, 2008 - 12:00 AM Updated: 08:32 AM
By Bristol Herald Courier Staff Reports
Sunday kicked off Sunshine Week across the United States. It’s an annual effort to educate the public about the need for open government and freedom of information.
In honor of the fourth annual event, the Bristol Herald Courier, TriCities.com and News Channel 11 will work to stress the importance of open government. The centerpiece of that effort will be Phase II of our online salaries project.
In December, the Herald Courier posted online the salaries of public officials in 65 cities, towns, counties and school systems, including Bristol, Johnson City, Kingsport and locales across Southwest Virginia.
Residents in overwhelming numbers across the rest of Northeast Tennessee jumped on the bandwagon and requested the data from their locales.
For the past 10 weeks, TriCities.com has gathered the additional salaries and will post that data online starting today. Visit the database here.
This is public information that will help taxpayers gauge whether their public officials earn too much or too little, and whether disparities exist across town and county borders.
It also will help local governments compare their pay with neighbors to ensure their workers are getting a fair shake.
"We are a government of the people, by the people and for the people," said Frank Gibson, executive director of the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government.
TCOG is a nonprofit organization dedicated to keeping government open and notes that the names, positions and salaries of public employees must be released under state law.
"We’ve found cases where public employees have gotten twice as much in overtime as their salary," Gibson said. "So to protect the public from abuse and wasteful spending, the information should be available to the public."
In this second round of data gathering, TriCities.com collected salaries from 25 of the 26 agencies petitioned. Only Greene County has not complied, but efforts -- including possible legal action -- will continue to ensure those records are turned over to the public.
"With all due respect, I can’t see this as doing anything other than stirring up trouble, to be frank with you," said Greene County Mayor Alan Broyles.
Broyles and county Budget Director David Lawing have been balking since they were petitioned in early January for the public records.
The following Tennessee jurisdictions have complied with state law and turned over salary data and are included in Phase II of the online database: Washington County government and schools; the town of Jonesborough; Greene County schools; the city of Greeneville and its school system; Unicoi County government and schools; the towns of Unicoi and Erwin; Carter County government and schools; the city of Elizabethton and its school system; Hawkins County government and schools; the town of Rogersville and its schools; Johnson County government and schools; the town of Mountain City; Greeneville Light and Power; Johnson City Power Board; Erwin Utilities and Elizabethton Electric.
Any jurisdictions overlooked or out of compliance with state law will be added to the database as soon as possible.
Nate Morabito of News Channel 11, J. Todd Foster of the Bristol Herald Courier and Christine Riser of TriCities.com reported this story.
