Dare County Animal Control Center
Dare County Commissioners
Manteo, North Carolina 27949
To Whom It May Concern:
I just read a "help wanted" ad in our local newspaper requesting applications for the job of an Animal Care & Control Officer for Dare County. As a taxpayer and an avid animal rights advocate,
And, it disturbs me more, knowing of the posh salaries paid some higher ups in Dare County government, some of whom I wouldn't entrust the care and/or capture of any animal, even if they wanted
the job. Anger aside, this is ridiculous.
If we can raise taxes in this county at a time when people are hurting financially, we should be able to pay decent salaries in our animal control office. This matter should be looked into and, if it is necessary,
make a budget amendment to add a couple of thousand dollars into the Dare County Animal Control budget. It will be better spent there than sending one of our county commissioners to Reno, Nevada for a weeks vacation.
Ray Midgett
Southern Shores, NC 27949
Full time, year round career opportunity. $10.50 per hour, plus health/life benefits. Requires reliable and consistent individual. Animal handling and/or law enforcement background helpful, but not necessary.
Record keeping skills, customer service skills, investigation of complaints, animal care, after hour emergencies, etc. etc. (see ad for more details).
14 comments:
Typical of this county. The rich keep getting richer, and the rest are supposed to be grateful for the scraps they get ! Let's see -- $10.50 times 40 hours = $420. Take away about 1/4 for taxes, and that leaves about $310. Multiply by 4 weeks and that's about $1240 a month. Does anyone see a living wage there??? Federal poverty guidelines for one person is $10,830. Fed. poverty guidelines for a family of four is $22,050.
As a friend said, would any of our county commissioners be willing to get out of bed in the middle of the night and go after a rabid animal, or worse, clean cages, handle all kinds of varmits, do reports and paperwork, drive all over the county, put up with angry people, and more, for $10.50 per hour, and still manage to be cheerful and humane? Every animal organization in the county should insist that these workers' pay be no lower than an single county employee; and if there are other county employees making wages that low and doing as much work, they should be looked at too. Increase their pay and deduct the difference from those at the top; and stop taking wasteful county junkets. It amazes me to think how some county administrators can walk by lower paid county employees and look them in the face. Likewise for the county commissioners
I agree, cut wasteful spending.
But I'm curious, how many people applied for this job? And if 50 competent people applied, why would you pay more than you need to?
Your living wage argument - does that assume that the employee has to have a flat screen tv, a cell phone, a new car? And taking 1/4 off for taxes - wouldn't this person receive a tax refund? And if it's just a single person, not a family of four?
And what do you think is the value of the county benefits, like really low copays on health insurance, and a defined benefit pension?
What does "these worker's pay be no lower than an single county employee" mean?
It really burns me when so many people think they are just too good for a $10 an hour job, and are content to be unemployed instead of having to work hard.
To the last person -- if you were a single person living in the Outer Banks, could you live on a net income of $15,000 a year? That means paying rent, paying for transportation, probably paying insurance on that transportation, eating, buying clothes? With this particular job description, where you have to be available day and night, that eliminates the possibility of a 2nd job. So now -- who is the pompous ass ?
To the tea partier --just how much do you think unemployment pays for heaven's sake?
And why would you project that this person would have flat screen tv and new cars?
And why do you want us to live at poverty level or below("why pay more than you need to?")
There is an ad now for a lead preschool teacher requiring Early Childhood education and experience---pays $9/hour. Retail positions here routinely pay 8-10/hr.
Rents are 800/m+, add child care, utilities, gas, food.
You are also the ones who don't want us to get food stamps or child nutrition programs in schools so how do you suggest we manage?
Let's see you do it, THEN you come back and tell us how easy it is and how fortunate you are.
Talk about elitist.
and hey tea partier---where's the pressure on Richard Johnson to account for his gambling, excuse me-convention trip at county expense?
The animal shelter people contract with Dare County and, I assume, run the shelter using what money the county allocates to them. I'm not sure, but I assume their employees are not getting county employee benefits. Still, the county condones what is done at the shelter in the form of its operation. No offense intended to store clerks, but I think an animal control officer has more responsibility and works harder than a store clerk. All of this aside, the real issue here is the low pay being offered only shows how little importance the county places in the humane treatment of animals around here. JMO.
oh yes I know one can't compare retail and animal control duties and responsibilities,forgive me, I just get so incensed by these people and their callous and cavalier attitude that somehow being poor is our fault. Wages on the OBX are abysmal IF you can even find a job. There are FOUR listings at NCESC right now---2 paying 8/hr, one 8.50 and the other unnamed.
The problems you cite regarding the level of compassion and responsibility required of the shelter position vs. the compensation are echoed in our health care industry, especially elder care.
If the persons caring for your loved one are making 8/hr to deal with the demands of caring for the physical and intellectual decline of our old age, don't be surprised by abuse and neglect. Our values are appalling.
The Value Voter summit held this weekend certainly did not reflect Christian values-- the text for this Sunday's sermons worldwide drew on the following verses:Amos 8:4 'Hear this, you that trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land and Luke 16:13: 'No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
Our Congress, these "Value" voters and the Tea Partiers could take a lesson.
Walk a mile first.
To the last poster -- Amen ! I am truly amazed how Tea Parties and others profess their Christian values, but they ignore what Jesus did.
Yes. They want 'their' country back? I want my Jesus back.
I understand this is written out of your love for animals, and I love them too. I've adopted or fostered around a dozen dogs.
HOWEVER...
Base pay for a deputy sheriff is only $14.83/hour with virtually no career development in sight. Look at what THEY are willing to do and what they put up with "in the middle of the night." Where is your outrage over that?
Offering rock-bottom pay for animal care/control jobs is only gonna bring sicko animal abusers to the job.
Like offering rock bottom pay to deputy sherriffs brings the best and the brightest ???
Look at how many former deputies are now working Kill Devil Hills Police. The pay for county deputies is atrocious. The commissioners only take care of a select few county employees.For god's sakes, the director of parks and rec makes more than than the sheriff.
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