Department heads in San Benito County government will find a
little something extra in their pay envelopes next month as the
Board of Supervisors approved a 2.5 percent pay raise for its top
officials.
Department heads in San Benito County government will find a little something extra in their pay envelopes next month as the Board of Supervisors approved a 2.5 percent pay raise for its top officials.
The pay increase, which is retroactive to Jan. 1, was approved by the Board earlier this week during a closed-session meeting.
Although the Board approved the raise for many of its top officials, it does not include supervisors and the county administrative officer.
The Board approved a modest 5 percent pay increase for itself nearly a year ago, only the second such increase in a decade. It isn’t seeking another.
The Board first considered giving department heads a pay raise last summer but a drawn-out battle over the state budget put the idea on hold. However, supervisors made provisions within the current fiscal budget to enact the pay raise if sufficient funding became available.
Supervisor Reb Monaco said the pay increase is also necessary to help the county stay competitive with larger nearby cities and counties.
“I think that as a county we’re still low as far as the salaries are concerned,” Monaco said.
Part of his support of the pay increase is to encourage the department heads to stay in the county and not to take their experience to higher-paying jobs in Monterey, Santa Cruz or Santa Clara counties.
“We’re surrounded by some large counties and we need to stay competitive,” Monaco said.
He said the Board realizes that the financial picture for many counties right now is gloomy, but the pay increase was needed.
“I realize that things are financially tight right now, but we’re in a position where we can afford it,” Monaco said.
County Administrative Officer Gil Solorio said one of the reasons the county can afford the increase is the Board’s previous fiscal stances.
“The Board has operated on a policy of fiscal restraint that has anticipated many of the current budgetary concerns,” Solorio said.
Monaco said if some of the current proposals to slash the state’s $34.6 billion deficit are approved, the county’s financial picture could change.
“A year from now when things are a little tighter financially, we may have to look at this again,” he said.
The pay increase comes about eight months after supervisors approved a pay hike for the county’s elected officials in May.
The elected department heads include the district attorney, sheriff, clerk/auditor, assessor, and treasurer/tax collector.
