Board OKs 3% Pay Hikes for Managers

About 750 county government managers, spread across 25 departments and agencies, won pay hikes Tuesday from the Board of Supervisors.

County leaders handed out a 3% cost-of-living adjustment to managers and independent elected officials, effective June 2, and a 5% step increase in March 1997. The board also agreed to contribute more money toward medical and dental insurance policies for management employees.

Those employees had not received a pay increase since 1992.

“It represents some fairness for these folks,” Supervisor Susan K. Lacey said. “I think the message is we appreciate them, and it’s time to give them appropriate pay increases.”

Jere Robings, president of the Ventura County Alliance of Taxpayers, asked supervisors to delay action to allow people a chance to dissect the pay raise package.

“Me and the rest of the public haven’t had much of a chance to review it,” Robings told county leaders. “This is really a significant package and I think it is only fair that the public get a chance to look at this thing.”

Nevertheless, the board voted 4 to 1 to grant the salary adjustments, with Supervisor Frank Schillo voting no. Schillo objected to a provision in the new contract that eliminated the longevity pay system in favor of a raise in base pay for management employees, saying it would create an unfunded liability to the county’s pension fund.

The salary adjustments do not apply to the elected supervisors because their pay is tied to the salaries of Superior Court judges.

Also Tuesday, supervisors gave final approval to a new contract granting a 2.5% raise to about 3,600 union employees for the present fiscal year.