Several top-level city salaries are scheduled for a significant increase, continuing on a path laid out in a 2002 wage study. All told, 72 city employees are scheduled to receive a 7.5 percent pay increase based on recommendations of a 2002 study commissioned to insure city salaries remain competitive with other communities.

The city is sending the wrong message granting 7.5 percent salary increases while at the same time discussing a property tax increase and cutting funding to certain programs. Regardless of the study recommendations, this is the wrong year for unnecessary salary increases. It makes more sense to postpones the increases or meter them out over the course of two or three years, assuming conditions warrant the increases in the future.

The council won't make a final decision on the city budget until Oct. 1. Meanwhile the views over the salary increases have taken different turns. Mayor Alan Hanks sees it as a matter of trust, morale and follow through to grant the increases. Other council members see it as a matter of budget, and question if a reduced increase, which could save the city up to $233,000, isn't more feasible.

It was less than two weeks ago when the city council, during the regular budgeting process, was debating city funding for projects and the possibility of a 3 percent property tax increase. That 3 percent would add $337,000 to the city budget.

Like we said then, continual expansion is a continual burden for the taxpayer, and that includes continual expansion in salaries as well as services. And the city's salaries have expanded.

City salaries have shown consistent growth. For instance, the library director salary has increased from $54,000 in 2000 to $95,000 in 2008 (2009 proposed is $103,000); the planning director salary has increased from $66,000 to $122,000 in the same period (2009 proposed is $128,000); and, the civic center general manager salary has gone from $75,000 to $111,000 in the same time period (2009 proposed is $119,000). For elected officials, the mayor's salary has increased from $75,000 to $95,000 and council members salaries increased from $9,300 to $15,000.

Just to offer some comparison, Pennington County auditor earns $81,000, the director of equalization earns $65,000; and, at the state level, while the governor pulls in around $115,000, a member of the state Public Utilities Commission earns $91,000 and the South Dakota Secretary of Tourism and State Development earns $134,000.

We're not suggesting the city slash salaries or impose unrealistic salary caps. We are suggesting the city council put the Condrey recommendations aside for a year, at the least, and reintroduce the increases when the city isn't discussing higher taxes and fewer services to maintain a balanced city budget.

Even though this is the final year of the study recommendations, it's the wrong year to grant such exorbitant salary increases.