At the current time, inflation is running at a rate of 2.5 percent per year. This means that if a person was making $50,000 a year at the beginning of 2018, the individual would need to be making $51,250 per year at the beginning in 2019 in order to keep the same amount of purchasing power. Therefore, if the person's salary remains the same, they have effectively been given a cut in pay.

According to articles which appeared in the Southeast Missourian in the last three months, it would cost the city of Cape Girardeau $190,000 out of a budget of approximately $70,590,000 to give its employees a 1 percent raise. However, a pay raise that was under consideration was removed by the city council. So the city council, by not appropriating even a 1 percent pay raise, is in the process of reducing city employees' pay at a time when the overall economy of the country is growing.

I think the action of the council is unconscionable.

I would also point out that according to the information contained in the newspaper articles, Cape Girardeau's budget has grown by about $18,000,000 since 2011. However if the city budget had only grown at the same rate as inflation, it would have only increased by $9,409,000.

Keeping a well-paid, experienced, and competent workforce should be a primary concern of our elected leaders. Their failure to give our city employees even a 1 percent raise fails to meet this obligation.

John Piepho, Cape Girardeau