A June 5 article headed “Commissioners are not happy with the increases awarded by an arbitration panel” goes on to describe the 7% pay hike, retroactive to January 1, that arbitrators awarded prison guards.
In the same issue, columnist Jeff Hawkes in “A city that’s fiscally unfit, with little fat” reports Mayor Rick Gray saying “I don’t think we have too many police.”
WATCHDOG: Note to the commissioners: If you want to slash guard costs and avoid building a new prison, convince Lancaster General Hospital to provide a full time clinic to treat an additional six hundred Lancastrians suffering from Heroin addiction.
Not only will this reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS and make families financially self sufficient, it will greatly reduce the amount of crime, and thus the need for guards.
By investing $250,000 to subsidize such a program, many millions can be saved not only in eventual health care costs but for the tax payers.
Note to Mayor Gray: The same applies for containing City police expenses. So stop ‘kissing up’ to non-profit General Hospital and start demanding they use their $113 million in annual profits to do more for the community.
It is a disgrace to have people seeking but denied treatment.
