Perks Exceeded $270,000 for Officials : Government: The benefits were part of a lucrative package distributed last year to a dozen top Ventura County leaders.

Ventura County’s top elected officials and chief administrative officer received more than $270,000 on top of their regular salaries last year in vacation, longevity and education benefits and thousands of dollars more in other financial perks, officials disclosed Monday.

The benefits were part of a lucrative package for a dozen top county officials that was quietly implemented by the Board of Supervisors in the late 1980s.

While the supervisors cut the benefits package earlier this month by more than $113,000 in terms of what elected officials will make next year, the overall package continues to tie the total income of the county’s elected officials to pay and benefits raises for management personnel.

Until Monday, the exact amount the county was paying in extra benefits had been withheld, with officials citing privacy rights for the county’s leaders. But after The Times argued that compensation for the key county leaders should be open for public scrutiny, the officials agreed to release the figures.

The information reveals that in addition to their annual base salaries of $50,232 each, the total income of the five members of the Board of Supervisors is tied to how long the elected officials can hold onto office. Six other elected officials and Chief Administrative Officer Richard Wittenberg also get longevity pay on top of their base salaries.

Veteran Supervisors John K. Flynn, Maggie Kildee and Susan Lacey all received “longevity incentive” benefits ranging between $3,700 to $4,389 last year because of their tenure in office, while newly elected Supervisors Vicky Howard and Maria VanderKolk did not yet qualify for the bonus.

The biggest added benefit for the supervisors and other elected officials, however, is an annual lump-sum payment--paid each January--called “in lieu of vacation pay.” Until early this month, when it was cut by more than 50%, the benefit provided elected officials and the chief administrative officer seven extra weeks of pay per year.

Most of the supervisors each received between $11,855 and $13,137 for in lieu of vacation pay in each of the past two years on top of their base salaries. VanderKolk and Howard did not receive the vacation bonus in 1991, but VanderKolk qualified for a vacation payment of $11,628.39 this year and Howard received a $10,701.28 payment. Howard said she donated a portion of it back to the county.

Other benefits crafted into the complex pay package for supervisors and other elected officials pushed their total income significantly over their base pay in nearly all cases. Kildee, for instance, earned more than $97,000 last year in base pay and benefits. Flynn’s total topped $91,000 and Lacey accrued more than $85,000. The total for newcomer VanderKolk was more than $73,000, while Howard’s total was more than $64,000.

Other elected officials and Wittenberg, all with significantly higher base salaries, fared even better under the benefits package. Wittenberg, paid a base salary of $123,630, had a pay and benefits total of $183,782.84 when all the extras were included, county officials said.

In addition to his base salary, Wittenberg received $25,554.65 for his extra vacation benefit. He also received $9,467.49 in longevity pay for working for the county since 1969. He also received a $6,181.50 bonus under the county’s educational incentive program because he holds a law degree.

Sheriff John Gillespie received the second largest pay and benefits package in the county, behind Wittenberg. On top of his base salary of $98,982, Gillespie received $22,164.60 for the vacation benefit. He received $8,239.85 for longevity pay and another $7,423.78 because he holds a master’s degree in public administration.

Dist. Atty. Michael D. Bradbury received $21,588.20 in vacation pay and $7,992.68 for longevity pay, on top of his $106,600 base salary. He did not receive an education bonus, since his position requires that he have a law degree.

In addition to those officials, County Clerk Richard Dean, Assessor R. J. (Jerry) Sanford and Treasurer-Tax Collector Hal Pittman each earned between $16,847 and $17,927 in vacation bonuses.

Auditor-Controller Norman Hawkes received a $19,126.28 vacation bonus, on top of his $91,910 annual pay. He also received $4,595.50 for being a certified public accountant and $7,104.05 for longevity pay.

Wittenberg and all but one of the elected officials also received $6,000 annually in car allowances. Kildee received $5,620, based on county mileage on her leased automobile.

Lindsay Nielson, president of the Ventura County Taxpayers Assn., said Monday that he was shocked at the amount of money the county spent on the undisclosed benefits.

“We had no idea of the magnitude,” Nielson said. “We knew they were pretty good, but we’re somewhat amazed.”

But Supervisor Kildee, leading a delegation of county officials presenting the information, defended the benefits package for top county officials.

She said it is important for the county to compensate its managers well--or the best officials could be lured away by other jurisdictions.

“I’ve been concerned about Richard (Wittenberg) because he clearly has been asked to consider moving,” Kildee said. “At every place that he has been asked to go, he would have been paid more than what we are paying him right here. I’ve always been concerned that we not lose him.”

Kildee emphasized that the county’s benefit package for top officials was put together at a time when the economy was relatively healthy. She said the recent reduction of benefits reflects the weakened economy.

And the board might be forced to consider other cuts if the economy does not improve, she said.

“I think the board will continue to be sensitive to that in our compensation, the compensation of the other elected officials, as well as the pay of all our employees,” she said.

The benefits package was designed as a way to better compensate the top officials in the county during the 1980s, officials said. The benefits were sometimes added in an effort to avoid the public controversy the supervisors would have faced if they had voted to give dramatic raises to themselves and other elected officials, county sources said.

In 1987, the board voted to give the elected officials an additional four weeks of extra pay as part of the “in lieu of vacation” benefit since they did not receive a set amount of vacation days a year. They did, however, set their own schedules and take off as much time as they wanted.

In September, 1989, the board decided to increase the vacation benefit to include five extra weeks’ pay for the elected officials. At the same time, the board agreed to increase the base salary of the supervisors by 7.5% to $47,832 annually.

A month later, at the urging of then Supervisor James R. Dougherty, the board increased the benefits to allow seven weeks of extra pay for the elected officials. The board--which included Dougherty, Madge L. Schaefer, Lacey, Kildee and Flynn--also agreed to extend the benefit to include Wittenberg.

Officials said the salaries of the elected officials in Ventura County lagged behind those of other counties. The increase in benefit pay was intended to help close the gap.

The board voted to make the changes with little public input.

As part of a cover letter attached to a thick document detailing the county benefits package for all managers, Personnel Director Ronald W. Komers referred to the change simply as “equalizing benefits for managers who earn annual leave (vacation) and those who do not.”

Inside the document, the increase was detailed in one sentence: “Regular, full-time management employees not eligible to accrue annual leave shall, in addition to annual compensation, be paid the equivalent of 280 hours per calendar year on the first pay period of each calendar.”

“There was some discussion after the fact that it wasn’t as public as we thought it should be,” Bradbury, the district attorney, said. “We thought there might be a little flack. I don’t recall it being publicly discussed at all.”

Another county source, who asked not to be identified, said, “There was a question as to why the board didn’t do this upfront.” It became apparent, the source said, that the board was “very sensitive” about the public controversy a pay increase would cause.

Some officials said they were also surprised at the magnitude of the added benefits. Initially, some officials thought they would receive an extra seven weeks’ pay calculated from their base salaries--which meant an annual vacation benefit of $16,643 for Wittenberg, and $6,762 for each of the supervisors.

But other paid benefits--such as $6,000 annual car allowances for each official and bonuses for longevity pay and added benefits for those who had college degrees--were added in with base salaries to determine the vacation perk.

The benefit turned out to be twice as large as some expected. Some officials said they believed the extra benefit was excessive, but they did not reject it.

H. Jere Robings, Ventura County Taxpayers Assn. executive director, said he asked Auditor-Controller Hawkes to make the information public two years ago, but his request was denied on the grounds that the numbers were private.

“We felt it was something the public had a right to know and understand,” Nielson said. “I think they made it a bigger thing by resisting instead of saying, ‘Yeah, this is what we pay these people.’ ”

Bradbury said some of the leaders feared losing the vacation benefit if the information became public.

“Those of us who received it came to rely on it,” he said. “I’m sure the motive was to try to stave off what inevitably would be a public concern.”

Still, Bradbury said, he encouraged top officials to make the numbers public.

“I expressed at executive committee meetings . . . that the issue is going to be why are we not forthcoming about it,” Bradbury said.

On Sept. 11, an attorney for The Times sent a letter to Hawkes asking that the officials’ full compensation package be made public pursuant to the California Public Records Act.

Hawkes responded with a letter saying the county had no written document, except for pay stubs or W-2 forms, detailing the benefits paid to the elected officials and Wittenberg.

“To the extent that your demand seeks to compel the Department to characterize or assess existing documents or to create a new document, your request is denied because neither of these is required by the Public Records Act.”

The Times, however, continued to threaten a lawsuit against the county to force disclosure of the information. While the county’s lawyers said they still viewed the information as private, they agreed to release the details after a closed meeting of the Board of Supervisors last Tuesday.

The disclosure of the full benefits package followed closely the scaling back of its vacation provisions at an earlier Board of Supervisors meeting on Sept. 15. At that time, the board cut the benefits at the urging of Flynn.

Under a plan approved by the board, elected officials would be allowed to pick between two reduced benefit packages.

According to the first option--which is offered to most county managers--the elected officials and the chief administrative officer would receive a set amount of vacation time each year, based on their years of service. At the end of the year they could be reimbursed for up to five weeks of vacation that they did not take.

Under the second option, the elected officials would still be allowed to set their own schedules and take off as much time as they wish. They would, however, only receive three weeks of extra pay per year as a bonus.

Since most of the managers receive an average of three weeks’ extra pay in exchange for unused vacation, giving the elected officials anything less would be unfair, Personnel Director Komers said.

Based on the numbers released by the officials on Monday, the county will spend about $63,000 next year in extra pay for the elected officials who choose to automatically take the three weeks of added benefits.

County officials have decided to keep intact all other bonuses, including longevity pay and educational pay.

County Pay and Benefits Package

1991 compensation and benefit payments for Ventura County elected officials and chief administrative officer:

Seven Weeks in Lieu of Longevity Base Pay Vacation Pay Pay CAO Richard Wittenberg $123,630 $25,554.65 $9,467.49 Supervisor John K. Flynn $50,232 $11,855.21 $4,389.92 Supervisor Susan K. Lacey $50,232 $11,519.81 $3,927.11 Supervisor Maria E. VanderKolk* $48,106.80 $0 $0 Supervisor Maggie Kildee $50,232 $13,136.66 $3,774.98 Supervisor Vicky Howard* $48,106.80 $0 $0 Sheriff John Gillespie $98,982 $22,164.60 $8,239.85 Dist. Atty. Michael D. Bradbury $106,600 $21,588.20 $7,992.68 Treasurer-Tax Collector Hal Pittman $79,274 $16,847.09 $3,838.85 Clerk-Recorder Richard D. Dean $79,274 $16,860.01 $6,248.04 Auditor Controller Norman R. Hawkes $91,910 $19,126.28 $7,104.05 Assessor R. J. (Jerry) Sanford $87,490 $17,926.48 $6,658.41

Auto Educational Boards & Allowance Incentive Commissions COA Richard Wittenberg $6,000 $6,181.50 n/a Supervisor John K. Flynn $6,000 $2,541.50 $6,050.08 Supervisor Susan K. Lacey $6,000 $2,541.50 $600.08 Supervisor Maria E. VanderKolk* $6,000 $1,703.99 $1,027 Supervisor Maggie Kildee $5,620 $2,541.50 $1,700.08 Supervisor Vicky Howard $6,000 $0 $1,677 Sheriff John Gillespie $6,000 $7,423.78 n/a Dist. Atty. Michael D. Bradbury $6,000 $0 n/a Treasurer-Tax Collector Hal Pittman $6,000 $3,963.70 n/a Clerk-Recorder Richard D. Dean $6,000 $2,774.72 n/a Audit Controller Norman R. Hawkes $6,000 $0 n/a Assessor R. J. (Jerry) Sanford $6,000 $2,187.38 n/a

Other Benefits** Total Pay Taxable Income CAO Richard Wittenberg $12,949.20 $183,782.84 $164,718.81 Supervisor John K. Flynn $10,421.46 $91,490.17 $77,639.73 Supervisor Susan K. Lacey $10,948.55 $85,769.05 $77,900.53 Supervisor Maria E. VanderKolk* $16,927.95 $73,765.74 $62,566.82 Supervisor Maggie Kildee $20,854.61 $97,859.83 $78,114.09 Supervisor Vicky Howard* $9,008.25 $64,792.05 $56,550.38 Sheriff John Gillespie $14,580 $157,390.23 $129,836.86 Dist. Atty. Michael D. Bradbury $12,808.47 $154,989.35 $136,209.04 Treasurer-Tax Collector Hal Pittman $10,086.16 $120,009.80 $103,356.17 Clerk-Recorder Richard D. Dean $7,613.96 $118,770.73 $105,061.02 Auditor Controller Norman R. Hawkes $14,412.06 $138,552.39 $127,393.74 Assessor R. J. (Jerry) Sanford $8,360.46 $128,622.73 $118,448.92

* VanderKolk and Howard did not join the board until until January, 1991, and were not eligible for full pay and benefits. They did, however, receive the vacation bonus in January, 1992. VanderKolk received $11,628.39 and Howard received $10,701.28.

** Other benefits include money the county contributed to 401-K plans, medical benefits, retirement and social security.

Source: The Ventura County Office of the Auditor Controller.