No one should expect to get rich working in government, at the local, state or federal levels. But a fair wage isn’t too much to ask.

As businesses have struggled financially in recent years, so too have governments. And that hardship has passed to workers — many of whom have gone years without pay raises.

The Lake Charles City Council on Wednesday approved 2 percent across-the-board raises for city employees to go along with 2 percent longevity pay increases. At the same time, the city acknowledged that the raises weren’t enough, and officials pledged to seek a long-term solution.

“What we’re doing now is what we can afford to do, but we recognize that we need to do more for all of our employees,” Mayor Randy Roach said.

The plan is to put a quarter-cent sales tax on the ballot in next fall’s gubernatorial election. Officials hope the money raised by the tax will be a permanent solution for funding worker raises.

“We need to increase pay to be more competitive and retain the people that are working for us,” Roach said.

The concern is that as Southwest Louisiana grows, businesses will pilfer government employees.

Before the pay raise, entry-level pay for a Lake Charles firefighter was 7.3 percent below the average of five other Louisiana cities surveyed — Lafayette, Bossier City, Baton Rouge Alexandria and Sulphur. Entry-level pay for a Lake Charles police officer was 1.49 percent below the average.

Lake Charles needs high-quality workers in all government positions.

While the tax election is many months away, these raises are a start to get pay levels headed in the right direction.(MGNonline)