Ordinance will give Stanislaus County supervisors automatic raises based on 8-county survey

Stanislaus County supervisors introduced an ordinance Tuesday that will give them automatic raises if their salaries are more than 20 percent below the average pay in eight other counties.

The change, approved on a 4-1 vote, means county leaders won’t have to vote to give themselves a raise. Supervisor Jim DeMartini opposed the ordinance.

“I don’t like the idea that it’s automatic,” DeMartini said. He also disagreed with substituting Monterey County for Kings County in the eight-county survey that will determine if raises are granted.

The ordinance has to come back to the Board of Supervisors for a second reading next week. It could result in a raise for supervisors Jan. 1, 2017.

Supervisor Dick Monteith said he didn’t think any supervisors serve on the board for the paycheck. He expressed concern that the current pay, which is substantially less than what supervisors make in nearby counties, could discourage a qualified person from seeking election.

Board Chairman Terry Withrow said he struggled with both sides of the argument. The current compensation seems to restrict board service to people of independent means, but he would never want someone to take the job just because of the paycheck, Withrow said.

County Supervisor Stan Risen said the compensation for supervisors is considered a part-time salary, though they often work more than 40 hours a week on county business.

Since 1985, supervisors have been entitled to twice-a-year raises of 3.75 percent until their pay is within 20 percent of the average in other selected counties. Today, board members are paid $74,776 a year and the chairman earns an extra $752 per month, or $83,798 annually.

In the past, board salaries rose by the same percentage as increases for department heads and other employees, but the board turned down those raises nine times from 2001 to 2010, a report said.

Amid the economic doldrums in 2010, the salary survey was changed to include the relatively poor counties of the San Joaquin Valley. Two years ago, a survey in preparation for labor talks was done to identify counties comparable to Stanislaus based on cost of living, wages, geography, population and local government revenues.

The salary ordinance approved Tuesday will use those same counties for calculating whether supervisors are entitled to a raise – Fresno, Kern, Madera, Merced, Monterey, Sacramento, San Joaquin and Tulare.

The board salaries are 25 percent below the average in those counties, meaning supervisors are eligible for a raise. Risen said a staff report suggesting supervisors were 19 percent below the average – and not eligible – was in error.

Under the new ordinance, supervisors can receive a 3.75 percent increase each year, rather than two increases totaling 7.5 percent. The additional chairman’s pay will be 12 percent of the supervisors’ base salary instead of a flat amount.

The ordinance will freeze board salaries when projected general fund revenue for that year is less than revenue the previous year. Any salary hikes will be reported at an open board meeting before Oct. 1 each year.

Supervisor Bill O’Brien noted the ordinance won’t provide for any raise until after county elections next year.

Supervisor Vito Chiesa agreed with the automatic pay adjustments. Because of public pressure, board members are certain to vote against giving themselves more pay, he said.

Also Tuesday, the board voted unanimously to approve the final budget for 2015-16. It’s similar to the preliminary budget approved in June but includes $1 million for technology advancements for putting more county services online, plus improvements to Harvest Hall and the county center near Oakdale Road and Scenic Drive in Modesto.

This story was originally published September 16, 2015 at 12:12 AM with the headline "Ordinance will give Stanislaus County supervisors automatic raises based on 8-county survey."