Alternatives to Budget Woes

The city of Ventura, in an effort to balance the budget, might consider the salaries of top officials:

Assistant city manager, $89,050; fire chief, $83,880; police chief, $88,176; director public works, $88,176; director of parks and recreation, $77,448; chief assistant city attorney, $83,052; director of community development, $83,052; finance director, $78,216; deputy city manager, $78,216; city manager, $118,000; city attorney, $105,000. That comes to a total of $972,266.

The city manager in his list of budget cuts included firing seven or eight low-end salaried employees who are paid approximately $8.50 per hour.

For the plan presented here, all city personnel with salaries over $45,000 per year cut back 10% of their salaries. With the positions listed above, it would be a savings of $97,226 per year. Divide that amount by $8.50 per hour, you get 11,438.3 hours. At 40 hours per week with 52 weeks per year, one person works 2,080 hours per year. Divide that into 11,438.3 and you get 5.49 employees that could keep their $8.50 per hour job.

This is not a unique idea. It has been accomplished in other areas/agencies with a very positive impact financially and on morale as well as the “image” presented on the whole.

RON SMITH

Ventura