County CAO Gets 1.64% Pay Raise
Ventura County Chief Administrative Officer Lin Koester, whose base salary had already increased by more than $10,000 during the past 12 months, was awarded a new 1.64% pay raise on Tuesday.
The board unanimously approved Koester’s raise without comment. The salary increase is equal to an additional $2,230 a year, bringing Koester’s total base salary to $136,914.
This was the second pay raise for Koester, 54, in less than four months.
Along with hundreds of other county managers, Koester received a 3% cost-of-living raise in March, increasing his base salary from $123,630 to $127,339.
At that time, the Board of Supervisors also agreed to fold longevity bonuses into the base salaries of managers and other employees. The annual cash bonuses are based on years of service.
Although Koester was hired as county manager only last year, he was able to get credit for the eight years he worked for the county in the 1970s as a department head. As a result, his salary was boosted by another $7,345, raising the total to $134,684.
As part of its action Tuesday, the board also agreed to extend Koester’s contract with the county an additional year, expiring in June 1998.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
