The Employment Section

A salary that earns $38,000 is a fair amount. Starting pay might be somewhat less, but there’s always the opportunity for pay raises if you excel at the job, your work ethic is exemplary and you’re Johnny-on-the-spot every day. Of course, the business would have to be something other than construction and real estate, at least for now. A career in banking might not offer security but longevity in any job has potential.

Those $38 thousand salaries are available, but it sure isn’t here in Hernando County. The average income in the county is about $28,000. The $10 thousand dollar difference is about 28% less. The thought immediately comes to mind that the cost of gas and wear and tear on the vehicle prohibits consideration. That higher salary covers workers in the Tampa Bay area, but not here.

The county claims that Tampa is just 40 miles and 40 minutes away. Realistically it’s about 60 miles from most locations and an hour’s drive.

Assuming a 5-day workweek and 120 miles roundtrip each day, the total is 600 miles per week, 2400 miles per month. At 20 mpg and $3 per gallon, gas would be about $360 per month, plus whatever upkeep necessary to maintain optimum vehicle performance. There is also the possibility of carpooling but rounding out total transportation costs, you might deduct about $4,500 from the salary increase.

Let’s say out of the extra $10,000 you have payroll deductions of 30%, or about another $3,000, which includes a contribution into a retirement account. That leaves about $2,500 to your take-home pay over a year’s time. Considering the traffic, weather conditions and other stresses and the extra time away from the family, that extra $200 per month may not be so attractive even if you may have better medical benefits. What’s a worker to do?

Low-paying jobs are a dime a dozen and bringing higher-paying career-oriented opportunities needs to be addressed for Hernando County workers. There are three County Commissioner seats up for voter selection less than a year from now and a primary election little more than a month away.

Voters should be asking candidates how they intend to bring better jobs with higher salaries to Hernando County. By now, they should already have ideas and strategies to propose; otherwise their main goal may be to secure the Commissioner’s part time job with a full time salary. By percentages, their $52-thousand annual pay is 45% more than the $28-thousand that the average wage earner is currently paid. Many don’t come close to that amount.

This is just one issue that deserves to be addressed before voters make their choices at the polls. Candidates may talk the talk. Actions speak louder than words. Money speaks loudest of all.

What’s a worker to do? This is a multiple-answer question. The answer is up to you.