To the Editor:

I was heavily admonished by the mayor and other council members at the Enterprise city meeting on Nov. 14 for not being more specific about the “holiday bonuses” – oops, Gift Certificates – and not stating their value (or value from past years, as they have not been authorized yet). That the omission had led people to think that the amount was LARGE.

So in past years all employees and volunteers were given a certificate for $25 good anywhere in the county. When turned in the city would pay out the $25.

So the amount of money involved was not large, but that was not my point. Should we (the people of Enterprise) be paying out “more” to folks that the lowest paid full-time person gets $36,858 a year (with benefits it’s $54,101). Some get nearly twice this (2010 amount). So if I led you astray I’m sorry. But I was asking for input, and I guess I got it.

Also brought up at this slam session was my opposition to the clothing and shoe allotments for city workers (I was not against safety equipment or uniforms), but as this is more than a year-old discussion, I don’t understand why it came up as nothing has changed.

The third thing was my insisting approximately a year ago that the wage and benefit schedule for city workers be generated and I receive a copy. I had requested this information ever since becoming a councilor and had not received it, so I specifically requested it during a meeting. This information had not been released for many years. I was also admonished for giving copies to the public and disseminating it to anyone that asked. This I have no apologies for. This information is by law public record. I believe a new schedule should be generated and released at least once a year.

Douglas Terry

Enterprise