We expect a lot from the many kinds of government employees who affect our lives. We want them to be proficient, efficient, patient, selfless, graceful, and unfailingly polite. We say they should be held to a higher standard. We also expect them to treat us with the respect we believe we deserve.
Oh, and we expect them work for far less money than they’d make in the private sector. Definitely far less than we’d settle for.
C’mon, though, you just know those bureaucrats. They barely do anything … and you know they’re padding their pockets with ridiculously high salaries, right? Before I continue, I want you to see their salaries. In Indiana, government compensation is public information. As a citizen, you have the right to see what every one of those greedy and wasteful government employees and elected officials is being paid, down to the penny. So now you should visit the Indiana Transparency Portal at in.gov, state government’s website. Go ahead, I’ll wait here. (Complete local compensation data is also published annually in this newspaper’s legal notices.)
Interesting, eh? I’m guessing you also think local governments are overstaffed with far too many bureaucrats. Ball State economist Michael Hicks says the number of local government employees per Indiana resident is lower now than at any time for which records are available.
Put another way, Indiana’s governments are the smallest they’ve ever been, if you believe the share of the adult population working for state and local government is a sensible measure. So as a whole, local governments are serving more residents with far fewer employees per capita. That means local governments have to be leaner and more efficient than ever. Most are.
Okay, but why would anyone take a government job, anyway? These are people who couldn’t get decent jobs outside government, am I right? Nope and far from it.
Stop and imagine you’re about to finish law school and are being courted by some top-tier law firms and corporate legal departments. Why would you choose a significantly lower-paying role within government, like serving as a deputy prosecutor? I can’t speak to every deputy prosecutor in the state, but among those I’ve known in Hendricks County, you’ll find the same dedication to community service we adore in firefighters, police officers, and 911 operators. They perform their roles as public servants because they believe taking care of one’s neighbors is more important than personal gain. And yes, their compensation reflects that.
Local government employees don’t mind being held to a higher standard. That’s because they’re deservedly proud of what they do. They’re not slumped at a desk counting down the weeks until retirement. Instead, they’re focused on doing a better, more effective job for their neighbors. They embrace continuing education and certifications. In fact, many of our local officials are so effective that they’ve been chosen to lead statewide professional organizations.
Just something to keep in mind the next time you think about passing a bad mood along.