Supervisors to Consider Raises for 1,820 : Salaries: The county employees include deputies, managers and engineers. Officials say the wage increases are necessary, but critics question the timing.

While Ventura County government leaders are cutting 200 positions and reducing services to balance a tight budget, the Board of Supervisors will consider Tuesday pay raises for about 1,820 employees, including middle and upper managers, sheriff’s deputies and maintenance engineers.

Under several labor contracts up for consideration by the board, about 265 Sheriff’s Department deputies and sergeants would receive about 15% in pay increases over the next three years. Another 366 law enforcement workers would receive 10% in pay raises over three years, while 850 county managers would each receive a $36-a-week pay increase, about 3.7% on average.

About 200 maintenance engineers and other workers would get pay increases averaging 2.5%. And another 140 workers, mostly Sheriff’s Department service and lab technicians, would receive pay increases of up to 8.5% if the board opts to approve the contracts. The contracts have already gained the support of employee union leaders.

Although officials said the raises are necessary to ensure that the county is paying its workers fair and competitive wages, some critics say the county should hold off on the pay increases until the economy rebounds.

“At a time when they are cutting positions and services, I think the employees ought to feel lucky to have a job,” said H. Jere Robings, executive director of the Ventura County Taxpayers Assn. “I just think their timing is atrocious.”

In the wake of budget cuts, the county public defender’s office on Friday announced plans to eliminate its only attorney in the East County Courthouse.

As of Monday, there will be no deputy public defender on duty there, said Assistant Public Defender Jean Farley, who oversees misdemeanor cases for the county public defender’s office. The move will leave poor defendants the option of either traveling to the Ventura Courthouse to plead their cases, or pleading guilty on the spot in Simi Valley, she said.

“It’s like playing chess, and you’ve lost your king and queen,” Farley said of the east county pullout.

David Williams, president of the Ventura County Deputy Sheriff’s Assn., said he understands why some people would disagree with offering pay increases to employees during a time of cutbacks. But, he said, the county could face a much worse predicament if it does not compensate its employees adequately.

“If you don’t pay, how can you compete with other departments?” Williams asked. “If you don’t compete, you get a less quality person and eventually that will come back to haunt you.”

Supervisor Maria E. VanderKolk said she plans to support the pay increases.

“I think it is much better to reduce the work force and to value the people that we have,” VanderKolk said.

Last month, the Board of Supervisors voted to cut 200 positions--half of them filled--to help offset a projected $10-million loss in state funding. The board also opted to cut back library services, reduce Fire Department services and gut a program for war veterans, among numerous other program reductions. The supervisors on Tuesday will also consider a proposal to reduce benefits to elected officials and the chief administrative officer.

County officials said the cutbacks have allowed them to set aside enough money for the pay increases.

Although officials said they did not know how much the pay raises would cost the county, they estimate that the raise for the managers would cost about $1 million annually. The raise for sheriff’s deputies, sergeants and investigators in the district attorney’s office is expected to cost more than $3 million over the next three years.

County Personnel Director Ron Komers said the pay increase for middle and upper managers is badly needed. He said it has been more than two years since the managers have received a raise.

“The increase that is being granted to management is less than what is being granted to the majority of county employees,” Komers said. “This $36-a-week increase represents the cost-of-living changes that have occurred over the past 12 months, about 3.7%.

“Recognizing that management have not had pay increases in two years, this is about half of the cost-of-living increases that have occurred since management’s last salary increase.”

He added that top managers and elected officials are not included in the proposed increase.

Times staff writer Mack Reed contributed to this story.