HUNTINGTON BEACH : Council Split on Pay-Cut Proposal

City Council members deadlocked this week on whether to cut their pay by 10% but decided to pick up the tab for their dinners before council meetings, something the city used to pay for.

Both cost-cutting measures were hastily proposed by Councilman Don MacAllister near the end of Monday night’s four-hour council meeting. MacAllister said he favored the ideas “to show our good faith” as the council works to make massive budget reductions during the months ahead.

The council, however, was sharply divided on the pay-cut proposal, which three members criticized as political posturing by MacAllister.

“It’s not the money, it’s the principle,” Councilwoman Linda Moulton-Patterson said. “I think this is done politically. It’s just pennies. It’s not going to balance this budget, and I’m not going to support it to look good politically.”

Mayor Pro Tem Grace Winchell and Councilman Jack Kelly also opposed the salary reduction. Kelly was the only council member who voted against both of MacAllister’s proposals.

Mayor Jim Silva and Councilman Peter M. Green sided with MacAllister in favoring the cuts. Councilman Earle Robitaille, who would have cast the deciding vote on the pay-cut issue, was absent Monday.

The city pays between $5.50 and $7.50 per pre-meeting meal for the seven council members and 13 department heads. With the council paying for their own dinners, the city is expected to save $1,050 to $1,400 this year.

If MacAllister’s salary-cut proposal had been approved, it would have saved the city about $2,000. The city’s general budget this year is $100 million, with a $500,000 deficit this year and a $5.6-million shortfall projected next year.

MacAllister acknowledged that the savings of a salary cut would have been insignificant, “but in recessionary times like this,” he said, “we are the leaders of this city, and we have to set an example.”