[Tulare County] Supervisor salaries in line with Valley counties

The Tulare County Board of Supervisors received three raises in the last three years, leading many employees and citizens to believe Supervisor salaries were inflated for the size of the County.

But a recent investigation by the Tulare County Grand Jury reports the salaries are near the median for other county governments in the Southern San Joaquin Valley. The report, officially released July 1, says the Supervisors’ $95,678 salaries per year are close to the median of $95,559 for the nine-county area and rank fourth among the nine counties. Tulare County’s 2014-15 budget was over $1 billion, more than double the budget of Merced County whose supervisors make $2,500 more than Tulare County’s. When compared to geographically closer Counties, such as Kings, Tulare County appears to be right where they should be. Kings County’s population and budget are less than half of Tulare County and their Supervisors make 42% less at $55,932.

On the other side of the argument is Kern County, whose Supervisors’ oversee a budget that is double and a population that is nearly double that of Tulare County yet are paid just 9% more. In San Joaquin County, the population, median income and budget are all larger than Tulare County yet their supervisors’ salaries are $200 less but still very comparable.

“Tulare County [Board of Supervisors] salaries are comparable to the other nine Southern San Joaquin Valley counties,” the Grand Jury concluded.

The report also noted that supervisor salaries are based on different calculations in each of those counties. Merced’s Supervisor salaries are linked to Superior Court Judge’s salaries while Kern and San Joaquin County are linked to a formula of employee groups’ negotiations.

“Many counties within California have enacted pay raise procedures as opposed to the [Board of Supervisors] directly voting on salary increases,” the Grand Jury stated in its report. “These procedures aide in transparency and lessen negative reactions by the public.”

Tulare County Supervisor salaries are linked to four elected officials that run departments within the County – sheriff/coroner, auditor-controller/treasurer-tax collector/registrar of voter, district attorney and assessor/clerk- recorder. When those officials receive a raise the increase is then divided by the number of elected officials (4) and then given as an increase to the Supervisors. For example, in September 2014, Supervisors approved a 5% salary increase for County Assessor/Clerk Recorder Roland Hill. The increase for Hill triggered a 1.25% salary increase 5/4=1.5) for each supervisor. The chairman and vice chairman make 8% and 4% more than the other three supervisors respectively. The Supervisors currently make $99,782.28 per year, based on an increase that happened after Grand Jury’s initial fact gathering.

Tulare County Supervisors can only vote to raise salaries for elected officials, and thus themselves, once each year during the adoption of the annual budget in September-October. Tulare County is also one of the few county government’s that publicly notices when the Board receives an increase in salary other than at the meetings.

July 1, 2015

The Foothills Sun-Gazette

Posted by Reggie Ellis