HUNTINGTON BEACH : Council Rejects Release of Salary Information
Councilman David Sullivan’s request that the city release salary information of all city employees was shot down by his colleagues last week.
The council majority believed that releasing specific salary information on individual employees would violate their privacy rights.
Current city policy is to disclose salary ranges by job title.
Sullivan said that, although he is sensitive to the privacy issue, he believes that individual gross wages should be released without identifying employees, only the job position.
However, some council members believe that by releasing such information, it would be easy for the public to figure out the identity of an employee.
In a report to the council, City Atty. Gail C. Hutton said that the city may release names, positions, salary ranges and some special pay, such as auto and uniform allowances. But Hutton added that other salary information is not considered public record.
Members of the watchdog group, Citizens Bureau of Investigation, have charged that city employees’ wages and benefits are far greater than wages and benefits in the private sector.
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