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AD HOC COMMITTEE ON BOARD OF SUPERVISORS COMPENSATION

Meeting Date:	04/09/2015
Subject: REVIEW OF BOARD ITEM ENTITLED, "ORDINANCE NO. 2015-05 TO ADJUST BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEMBER SALARY"
Submitted For:	Stephen L. Weir
Department:	County Administrator
Referral No.:
Referral Name:
Presenter:	Steve Weir	Contact:	Julie DiMaggio Enea 925.335.1077

Information

Referral History:

On November 4, 2014, the Board of Supervisors adopted¹ Ordinance No. 2014-10, which amended the County Ordinance Code to adjust the salary of members of the Board of Supervisors to an annual amount equivalent to seventy percent of superior court judges’ salaries and provided that, prospectively, Supervisors’ salaries would be adjusted as necessary to maintain a base salary equivalent to seventy percent of judges’ salaries. Judge’s salaries are linked to the salary increases of State employees.

The Supervisors' salaries had not been raised since 2007 and were the lowest in the State for urban counties, and the second lowest for counties in the Bay Area. Attached are the salary surveys that the Board considered during its deliberations.

On January 2, 2015, a coalition of labor organizations filed a referendum petition, calling on the Supervisors to rescind the salary increase and, effectively, suspending the ordinance that was to have taken effect on January 3, 2015. The County Registrar of Voters advised that the petition must contain 25,407 valid signatures in order to be deemed sufficient. In recognition of the public expression through the petition process and to avoid the expenditure of time and resources to verify the petition signatures or hold an election on the matter, the Board decided on January 20 to rescind the salary adjustment ordinance and directed staff to return at a February meeting to present other options for addressing the Board's salary level. The County Registrar of Voters later confirmed that the referendum petition was sufficient.

Referral Update:

On February 10, the Board directed² the County Counsel to prepare two ordinances for possible introduction on March 3, 2015: one authorizing a 7% (based on a 4% general COLA granted to employees in July 2014 plus a 3% COLA that employees will receive on July 1, 2015) increase to the Board of Supervisors member salaries to the level of $104,307, and an alternate ordinance that additionally links the Board's salary level to that of a Superior Court Judge's salary.

On March 3, the Board decided³ to introduce that version of the salary ordinance that did not create a tie with the salary of a superior court judge. The Board also directed⁴the County Administrator to convene an Ad Hoc Committee to study and make recommendations to the Board on its compensation.

On March 10, the Board adopted⁵ an ordinance to increase its salary, effective June 1, 2015, by 7% to the annual level of $104,307. The increase places the Board's salary level as the 2nd lowest of the 12 urban CA counties and 3rd lowest of the Bay Area counties based on Exhibit 1 salary survey.

Notes:
1. Supervisor Andersen cast a dissenting vote.
2. Supervisor Piepho cast a dissenting vote.
3. Supervisor Piepho cast a dissenting vote.
4. Passed unanimously. Supervisor Glover was absent.
5. Supervisor Piepho cast a dissenting vote. Supervisor Glover was absent.

Recommendation(s)/Next Step(s):

REVIEW March 10, 2015 order of the Board of Supervisors (Item D.3), entitled "Ordinance No. 2015-05 to Adjust Board of Supervisors Member Salary" and PROVIDE direction to staff on next steps.

Fiscal Impact (if any):

None.

Attachments
3/10/15 Board Order Adopting Ordinance to Increase BOS Salary
Ordinance 2015-05 BOS Salary Increase
Board of Supervisors Salary Comparison_October 2014