Theatre
March 3, 2008March 5
March 5, 2008
The Terrebonne Parish Council will consider hiring the Dallas firm Waters Consulting Group to update the parish’s employee salary structure at next Wednesday’s council meeting.
Waters would receive $69,800 for its consulting services.
Parish President Michel Claudet wants employee salaries to be more competitive with the private sector.
“Department heads are underpaid,” Claudet said at the Council’s Budget and Finance Committee meeting on Feb. 25.
He emphasized that parish employees would not receive raises simply as a result of hiring the Waters Group.
“I thought this was important,” he said. “It will give us the tools to work in this regard. We haven’t kept up with wages in the area. This is money well spent.”
Councilman Johnny Pizzolatto was opposed to hiring the Waters Group.
“I can’t see spending $69,000 on a study when we know what the problem is. I don’t even know if we have money in the budget for raises. I can’t vote for this.”
Claudet said he has been experiencing difficulty hiring a qualified parish manager because of competition from the private sector. He offered to use part of his salary as president to help compensate a new parish manager.
But upper management positions have been relatively stable, according to parish Human Resources Director Will Torres.
“Skilled positions like computer operators and labor jobs have problems competing with oilfield jobs,” he said. “We can’t just raise salaries as they do in the private sector because we’re tied to a budget.”
Terrebonne Parish has more than 800 employees. The parish manager earns $77,000 a year. Wally Waters with the Waters Group told the committee that people who manage 800 employees in the private sector can make $130,000.
“You are a large parish,” he said. “You’re right outside a major metro area (but) we can only do so much with the money you have.”
