Costa Mesa beefs up salaries to keep people at City Hall, OKs pay bump for city manager
Costa Mesa city officials are beefing up compensation for hard-to-fill staffing positions to entice top-notch candidates to work and stay on the payroll, including a $40,000 annual bump in pay for City Manager Lori Ann Farrell Harrison.
In a meeting Tuesday, City Council members dedicated up to $640,000 annually to create competitive pay packages for part-time and full-time positions across departments. Positions include engineers, building inspectors, police communications, community services leaders and lifeguards.
Human Resources Manager Kasama Lee said staff compared Costa Mesa’s pay rates, benefits and employee retirement contributions to those in Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Santa Ana, Irvine and Fountain Valley.
The adjustments would bring long-term benefits to the city, while the $320,000 price tag for Fiscal Year 2021-22 could be absorbed by adjustments to the city’s adopted budget.
“There will be savings from fewer position recruitments, less employee turnover, fewer temporary staffing contracts and less reliance on consultant services,” Lee said. “In addition, there will be increased productivity and operational efficiencies across the organization.”
Finance and Pension and Advisory Committee Chair Ralph Taboda suggested the council look beyond the current fiscal year when making a determination.
“Those are costs you should know, I believe, before you vote, because that’s going to be a recurring cost for the rest of the life of this city,” he said.
Ultimately, the council approved the increases in a 7-0 vote. Councilman Manuel Chavez said it was important to show city employees are valued.
“We understand on this dais that when we vote on things, it’s you who implements them,” he said. “This is one small step, one small token, for us to fully demonstrate how much we care about you.”
Also Tuesday, council members approved a raise in base pay for Farrell Harrison, from $260,000 to $300,000, along with an increased employee retirement contribution and the option to use a city-owned vehicle or accept a $575 monthly vehicle allowance.
The move follows a performance evaluation conducted last month by an ad-hoc committee, which included a salary survey of comparable city managers. It was Farrell Harrison’s first evaluation since she started in July 2019.
Mayor Pro Tem Andrea Marr said, even with the most rigorous search process, it can be rare to find a city leader who matches the council’s mission, goals and values.
“With Ms. Farrell Harrison, we’ve been able to accomplish a tremendous amount of the last 29 months,” she added. “I don’t think there’s anybody who could do it better.”
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