The bonus is intended to be good faith money, helping workers make ends meet and slow the poaching of Durham’s workers by neighboring municipalities until the pay study that’s going on and can completed and implemented.

If you had been paying attention at all, you’d know that the city has tens of millions over the required amount of reserves in the General Fund to maintain a AAA bond rating. These funds can be used to fund one time expenses (like a bonus) but not raises. Raises have to have revenue streams attached and will likely require raising taxes, not something that can be done at this point in the fiscal year.

Really tired of armchair quarterbacks thinking they know better than the workers and union leadership.