HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 11042014 - D.9RECOMMENDATION(S):
WAIVE reading, and ADOPT Ordinance No. 2014-10 amending the County Ordinance Code to adjust salary of
members of the Board of Supervisors and provide such salary shall equate to seventy percent of the salary of
California Superior Court judges.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Upon adoption this action would have a total annual additional cost of $235,000, $66,876 of which is pension cost.
BACKGROUND:
On July 29, 2014, the Board adopted Resolution No. 2014/260, which provided wage increases for elected
department heads to align with wages afforded to similar elected department heads for other Bay Area counties.
Since then, a salary study for Supervisors was conducted to compare Contra Costa County’s salaries with other
counties. The counties of Alameda, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma were
used in the salary study. Among these eight (8) counties, Contra Costa County is the third most populated county.
Also, 6 of these 8 counties set their salaries as a percentage of that of the Superior Court judges. In fact, many
counties in California also set the Supervisors’ salaries as a percentage of that of the Superior Court judges. Of the 12
California counties designated as “Urban Counties” based on population, 8 of those counties also set the
APPROVE OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE
Action of Board On: 11/04/2014 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER
Clerks Notes:
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS
Contact: David Twa, County
Administrator (925) 335-1086
I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes
of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED: November 4, 2014
David Twa, County Administrator and Clerk of the Board of Supervisors
By: , Deputy
cc: Human Resources Transactions, Harjit S. Nahal, Assistant Auditor-Controller
D.9
To:Board of Supervisors
From:David Twa, County Administrator
Date:November 4, 2014
Contra
Costa
County
Subject:Adopt Ordinance No. 2014-10 to Adjust Board of Supervisor Members’ Salaries
BACKGROUND: (CONT'D)
> Supervisors’ salaries as a percentage of that of the Superior Court judges. Effective July 1, 2014 Superior Court
judges, including those in Contra Costa County, had their salaries increased to $184,610 thus resulting in an
increase for Supervisors in many of those same California counties.
In Contra Costa County, Supervisors' salaries are set by ordinance. The last time Supervisors adjusted their
salaries was in 2006, and the last increase was July 1, 2007, when they received a 2% cost of living adjustment
(COLA). The Supervisors also took wage reductions from July 1, 2009, through July 31, 2013, along with a
majority of our County employees. As a result of this, Contra Costa County Supervisors' salaries are now the
lowest in the State for Urban Counties, and the second lowest for counties in the Bay Area.
On October 21, 2014, the County Administrator reported that because the Board has recently made adjustments
for the Contra Costa County elected department heads, it might be an appropriate time to consider also adjusting
the Supervisors' salaries which have not been increased for a number of years. In the Bay Area, Contra Costa
County Supervisors' salaries are near the bottom, with only Solano and Napa slightly higher or lower and those
two counties have less than half the population of Contra Costa County. Additionally, many of the Bay Area
counties tie the Supervisors' salaries to a percentage of the Superior Court judge’s salary, with the percentage
ranging between 47% and 80%. Board members considered the information provided, heard public testimony, and
requested that an ordinance be prepared using 70% of Superior Court judges' salaries. Additionally, the Board
requested information be provided regarding other department heads' salaries. The table below, sorted by annual
salary, lists each department head classification and identifies elected department heads with an asterisk.
On October 28, 2014, the Board of Supervisors introduced the attached Ordinance 2014-10 that would increase
Supervisors’ salaries to an annual amount equivalent to seventy percent of Superior Court judges’ salaries and
provide that prospectively Supervisors’ salaries shall be increased at such times and in such percentages necessary
to maintain a base salary equivalent to seventy percent of judges’ salaries. This ordinance would amend Code
section 24-26.006, Supervisors. Both a clean and redline version of the Ordinance are attached for reference.
If adopted, this ordinance becomes effective 60 days after passage on January 4, 2015.
If adopted, this ordinance becomes effective 60 days after passage on January 4, 2015.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
New ordinance will not be adopted.
CLERK'S ADDENDUM
Speakers: The following members of Public Employees' Union Local One: Suzanne H. Davis; David Partida;
Michael Davis; Philip Hu; Peter Nguyen; Cheryl Grover. Ken Westerman, Deputy Sheriff's Association;
Ralph Hoffmann, resident of Walnut Creek; Nadine Peyracain, resident of Martinez.
ATTACHMENTS
Ordinance No. 2014-10
Ordinance No. 2014-10 redlined
Elected Officials Salary Comparisons
Attachment
October 21, 2014 Item D.6