Pay Packages Set in Concrete

There has been a lot of news lately about compensation levels in Simi Valley city government, particularly with regard to the high levels for our city manager and city attorney. Having been on the City Council for two years now, and having observed them closely, I think they’re both doing very good jobs.

But I also think it’s important for people to understand that the present City Council has almost no power to reduce these salaries and benefits, which were set in concrete back in the 1980s. These contracts run indefinitely and cannot be changed without consent. Those contracts require a minimum annual salary increase of 80% of the Consumer Price Index, which is all they were given this past year.

The City Council does have the power to terminate the city manager or city attorney at any time for any reason, but at a severance cost equal to six months’ total salary and benefits, plus some other continuing benefits. So firing them merely to hire cheaper, not necessarily better, replacements would cost a lot of money in the short run and might not save money even in the long run.

I admit to feeling frustrated over the way previous City Councils have tied our hands. Pay and benefits improvements keep getting ratcheted up, with no room for flexibility or adjustments in response to a changing job market or bad economic times. While there’s nothing we can do about it now, this serves as a reminder that the City Council must always be cautious about making agreements that bind the city far into the future.

SANDI WEBB

City Council member

Simi Valley