Despite endless reporting of city officials who walk away with huge payouts and unsustainable pensions, I still hear from city officials and readers who insist that the only solution to the current fiscal mess is a tax increase. Cities, they argue, are cut to the bone. But here's a piece from the Orange County Register showing the absurd way that public employees are emptying coffers. As the Register reported, "In mid-July, City Manager Rick Warsinski took an early retirement after more than 30 years of service at City Hall. As part of his separation agreement negotiated with the City Council, he didn't walk away empty-handed; instead, he got a city check totaling nearly $500,000, a combination of separation pay, built-up vacation and accrued sick leave." Buena Park is a small suburban city. This goes on everywhere. In San Francisco, these huge payouts are common. This should go without saying, but if a city spends its money on these packages for employees and retirees, then they will soon run out of money to pay for public services. And why do employees get compensated for unused sick time?
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