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Supervisors to discuss salary cut
FAIRFIELD — County supervisors will once again consider lowering their pay as a nod to tough economic times.
Supervisor Skip Thomson is proposing that he and his colleagues cut their $94,758 annual salaries by 10 percent. He is also proposing to eliminate longevity pay that for some supervisors totals several thousands of dollars a year.
However, the law does not permit mandatory salary cuts to affect supervisors during their current terms. Rather, the salary cuts would take effect when the various board district seats change in January 2015 and January 2017.
The Board of Supervisors will discuss the matter during its Tuesday afternoon session that begins at 2 p.m. It meets at the county Government Center, 675 Texas St. A morning session for other issues begins at 9 a.m.
Supervisors last discussed cutting their salaries in June 2011 and favored the move by a 3-2 vote. However, a unanimous vote was required because the proposal came during budget sessions.
County Counsel Dennis Bunting said that a majority vote would suffice at this time.
Thomson said he is following through on a campaign promise by making the proposal. Regardless of what happens Tuesday, he said he will voluntarily forgo $25,000 of his own salary and his $11,844 in longevity pay.
Savings realized by cutting supervisors’ salaries is a blip on the radar compared to the county’s $14 million structural general fund budget deficit, he said.
“But I think if we’re going to ask our public to accept a lower standard of service and we’re going to ask our employees for more concessions, we should say that we’re willing to do it and lead by example,” Thomson said.
His colleagues work hard and probably deserve their present salaries, Thomson said. Supervisors receive 53 percent of the amount received by state Superior Court judges, a policy that Thomson voted in favor of in 2001.
In 2001, raising the supervisors’ salaries seemed appropriate, Thomson said. Now a different course of action is appropriate, he said. He wants to lower the amount to 48 percent of the judicial salaries.
Supervisor Jim Spering opposed the move to cut salaries in 2011 and opposes Thomson’s proposal. The county needs to take a holistic approach to dealing with the budget problems, he said.
Being a supervisor is a full-time job that takes him more than 50 hours a week and he thinks he is effective at what he does, Spering said. The board oversees 3,000 employees and an $800 million budget, he said.
“If someone wants to run for this position and do it for a lot less, they ought to run against me and say, ‘I’ll do it for a lot less,’ ” Spering said.
Thomson left his supervisor’s post in 2002 for the higher-paying assessor’s job, “spiking” his salary for retirement calculations, then left the assessor’s job before the term ended, Spering said. That’s the sort of practice that ought to be an issue, not what hard-working people are making, he said.
Thomson said he doesn’t want to make this issue about himself, but about dealing with a structural deficit “that’s just going to kill us.”
“I don’t think this is going to be a pleasant discussion for many of my colleagues, but it’s something I think has to be discussed,” he said.
Reach Barry Eberling at 427-6929 or beberling@dailyrepublic.net. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/beberlingdr.
Barry Eberling
Discussion | 9 comments
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FF64March 23, 2013 - 1:26 am
The arrogance of Jim Spering is disgusting! He doesn't blink cutting services or the salaries and benefits of others, but when his own salary is mentioned, he cries out about how hard he works! If I lived in his district, I'd run against him just to shut his pie hole!
Reply |Average GuyMarch 23, 2013 - 7:42 am
While I agree with you on Sparing, he does make a good point about Skippy.....
Reply |AngelMarch 23, 2013 - 10:52 am
FF is in bad shape. You have a county that is 10% unemployed, supervisors that are supposed to supervise(look around) but like the police department, that brings in revenue for the city for "protecting and serving". Seems like FF prays on it's citizens. FF police go out everyday and serve tickets, which make the city money, that the city can keep paying to be policed. Now we have supervisors covering their rear, pointing fingers at who is at fault? I believe a holistic approach is wrong, cut that fat! Our country is changing, we have to change. It's like the buckets of crabs, when one rises to the top, the others pull him back to the bottom! But there is no one rising to the top, look around the city! Like a FF employee told me about life, "you have chosen your path". Maybe change the name from Fairfield to Unfairfield.
Reply |Average GuyMarch 23, 2013 - 12:04 pm
I believe you would find that the Police Department costs way more then they could ever bring in with tickets...But I do like your "Bucket of Crabs" analogy...Gonna have to use that one... :)
Reply |AngelMarch 23, 2013 - 12:31 pm
Yes, I agree, the police contract is more than they can bring in on tickets, but come on. FF needs tanks, armored cars, and huge S.W.A.T? Tax payers money paying for air condition cars that they leave on while burning gas. Sacrifice(Chief Solano) would say! Public schools could benefit from one of the many toys FF P.D. has. And thank you for the like of my analogy. Here's another one for the supervisors, "you can not step in poop and come out smelling like roses". If the job is not getting done, time to step away, instead of filling out your own "employee evaluation" sheet. Opinions are that and the fact is, get out of your car walk the streets(day and night) and then explain how great of a job you are doing. Spering is making chicken salad out of chicken poop, so who's buying?
Reply |Average GuyMarch 23, 2013 - 2:43 pm
OK...While I'm no big fan of FF PD, you seem to be blending Fairfield the City & Solano the County...You have cops that make over 6 figures & cops that retire on 6 figures. But look at Michael Johnsons pay (Solano County's Administrator) last year in office pay out....http://www.caoac.org/bulletins/County%20CAO%20Salary%20Survey%20Results.xls
Reply |Average GuyMarch 23, 2013 - 2:49 pm
OK...You seem to be blending Fairfield the City & Solano the County...While I'm no big fan of FF PD & you have cops that make over 6 figures & cops that retire on 6 figures. Michael Johnson's (Solano County's Administrator) last year in office paid him $360K.
Reply |RichMarch 23, 2013 - 4:06 pm
You people look stupid putting up with jerk disloyal leaders.
Reply |RichMarch 23, 2013 - 7:52 pm
Punish the rank and file some more Supes---after all., you're royalty around here and can just do what you want. Don't worry---your employee slaves wont revolt against you! How dare the peasants demand you cut your bloated salaries and benefits---Centurion---seize them!
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