Thursday, August 18, 2016

No raises for Tuolumne County supervisors

Blog note: this article cites a county administrator’s desire for the grand jury to investigate the salaries of county supervisors.
The Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday again tabled a proposed pay increase for themselves, this time in the amount of 2 percent.
Supervisors declined to grant themselves a 14.6 percent raise at the Aug. 2 meeting, directing county staff to come back with a smaller cost-of-living adjustment. However, the board still couldn’t stomach voting on giving themselves more money, despite a 2015 study that found their wages were below that of elected supervisors in other similar counties.
“I’m not going to support it,” said District 2 Supervisor Randy Hanvelt. “I hate supervisors voting on their own salaries. It’s inappropriate, and a political hassle.”
County staff was directed to work on a separate solution that doesn’t involve supervisors voting to increase their own salaries, possibly by working with an independent body to determine whether the board deserves raises.
County Administrator Craig Pedro said he would try to convince the Tuolumne County Grand Jury to investigate the matter and make recommendations.
“We just need to find a pathway that makes sense so we’re not voting on our own salary increases,” said District 1 Supervisor Sherri Brennan.
However, District 4 Supervisor John Gray said he didn’t see the point in going through the extra steps because he has been unable to vote on salary increases for 10 years.
The board’s last “true increase,” according to county Human Resources Director Ann Fremd, was approved in May 2006.
District 5 Supervisor Karl Rodefer also noted the current salary of $39,814 a year could limit the potential pool of future candidates for the board because it might drive away some qualified people from running.
“The compensation for this job does affect people’s decisions whether to run for this position or not run for this position,” he said. “It limits your choices when you go to the ballot box to vote for the people who are going to make the decisions that affect your lives.”
August 16, 2016
The Union Democrat
By Alex MacLean


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