City web postings miss transparancy target
Yorba Linda’s website listing of salaries, benefits and other compensation paid to City Council members falls a bit shy of a bull’s eye on the transparency target.
Council voted 5-0 to post city employee pay information after media disclosure of compensation levels in Bell. Council members and this column received a blitz of inquiries about this city’s salaries following the Bell brouhaha.
The city clearly lists some council pay, but benefit information is presented in lawyerly legalese that doesn’t reveal all of the costs. And some money members earn from public-paid taxes and tolls isn’t even mentioned.
The $500 per month salary and $30 per meeting Redevelopment Agency pay is listed, as is a $36 monthly phone payment and a currently suspended $100 car allowance. The cost for $6,000 life insurance policies (to replace a year’s council salary) isn’t detailed.
Benefits, which total more than salaries and allowances, aren’t listed in the same clear manner; instead, readers are referred to three sections in an eight-page 2010 resolution.
The retirement section says the city pays the seven percent employee contribution to the Public Employees Retirement System, but it doesn’t detail the actual payments made for council members.
(I was told it was $1,500 for each of four participants for 2009-10. Based on age and service years, retiring members can receive up to $162 monthly with COLAs for life.)
The health section notes council members will get $945 monthly starting Jan. 1 in a “cafeteria” plan allowing either cash or deferred compensation payments after deducting any health plan costs.
(I was told that this year four members put $833 into 401k-type plans each month and one receives $459 for a health plan and $374 for retirement, totaling $49,980 annually for the five.)
The $833 jumps to $945 monthly under the resolution adopted 5-0 without comment at the Aug. 17 council meeting, giving council members $112 more per month or $56,700 for the five in 2011.
The dental and vision section notes 100 percent of premiums for employees and dependents are paid by the city, but again the costs to taxpayers are not outlined.
Payments members receive as city reps on five county boards are absent from the website. Per-meeting pay comes from taxes and fees paid directly to the agencies.
Two toll road boards each pay $120 per meeting, up to 18 per quarter, but the groups normally meet once monthly. The sanitation board pays $212.50 per meeting, with a six-meeting monthly max, but it usually meets monthly.
The Fire Authority pays $100 per meeting, with a $300 monthly max, and Vector Control pays $100 per meeting, with a $1,200 annual max. Both usually meet monthly.
John Anderson is on the sanitation, Nancy Rikel the fire, Jim Winder the vector and Mark Schwing the toll road boards. Jan Horton was on the toll road and fire boards in 2007-08.
Council voted 5-0 to post city employee pay information after media disclosure of compensation levels in Bell. Council members and this column received a blitz of inquiries about this city’s salaries following the Bell brouhaha.
The city clearly lists some council pay, but benefit information is presented in lawyerly legalese that doesn’t reveal all of the costs. And some money members earn from public-paid taxes and tolls isn’t even mentioned.
The $500 per month salary and $30 per meeting Redevelopment Agency pay is listed, as is a $36 monthly phone payment and a currently suspended $100 car allowance. The cost for $6,000 life insurance policies (to replace a year’s council salary) isn’t detailed.
Benefits, which total more than salaries and allowances, aren’t listed in the same clear manner; instead, readers are referred to three sections in an eight-page 2010 resolution.
The retirement section says the city pays the seven percent employee contribution to the Public Employees Retirement System, but it doesn’t detail the actual payments made for council members.
(I was told it was $1,500 for each of four participants for 2009-10. Based on age and service years, retiring members can receive up to $162 monthly with COLAs for life.)
The health section notes council members will get $945 monthly starting Jan. 1 in a “cafeteria” plan allowing either cash or deferred compensation payments after deducting any health plan costs.
(I was told that this year four members put $833 into 401k-type plans each month and one receives $459 for a health plan and $374 for retirement, totaling $49,980 annually for the five.)
The $833 jumps to $945 monthly under the resolution adopted 5-0 without comment at the Aug. 17 council meeting, giving council members $112 more per month or $56,700 for the five in 2011.
The dental and vision section notes 100 percent of premiums for employees and dependents are paid by the city, but again the costs to taxpayers are not outlined.
Payments members receive as city reps on five county boards are absent from the website. Per-meeting pay comes from taxes and fees paid directly to the agencies.
Two toll road boards each pay $120 per meeting, up to 18 per quarter, but the groups normally meet once monthly. The sanitation board pays $212.50 per meeting, with a six-meeting monthly max, but it usually meets monthly.
The Fire Authority pays $100 per meeting, with a $300 monthly max, and Vector Control pays $100 per meeting, with a $1,200 annual max. Both usually meet monthly.
John Anderson is on the sanitation, Nancy Rikel the fire, Jim Winder the vector and Mark Schwing the toll road boards. Jan Horton was on the toll road and fire boards in 2007-08.
posted by Jim Drummond at 12:00 PM
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