Supervisors Boost Their Compensation 6%

With little fanfare, Orange County supervisors made it official Tuesday, giving final approval to a 6% pay raise for themselves.

The raise, effective in 60 days, was approved, 4 to 1, with no discussion. Supervisor Todd Spitzer dissented.

The higher compensation for themselves and top county officials follows salary increases last year of 12% for the supervisors and 14% for County Executive Officer Jan Mittermeier. Officials pointed out that salaries were frozen for four years after the county’s 1994 bankruptcy.

The $5,221 increase, though, won’t make it into their take-home checks. Instead, the money will be paid into retirement accounts as deferred compensation.

Bruce Whitaker, a spokesman for the Committees of Correspondence and unsuccessful candidate for supervisor in 1996, said he disagreed with the board’s action, especially since supervisors have given so much authority to Mittermeier.

“I find it curious,” Whitaker said, “that the supervisors are delegating much of their authority to the CEO, and yet by reducing their workload and their accountability, they want to get paid more.”

But he said they seem to be abdicating a lot of authority to Mittermeier in favor of becoming more of a policy-making body. “It begs the question, ‘Could we get by with a smaller, part-time board with certainly smaller staffs?’ ”

When the pay raise was first heard last month, then-Supervisor William G. Steiner argued for the increase, saying that it would ensure that the county remains competitive. The county still has to fill top jobs at John Wayne Airport and in agencies responsible for health care, housing and community development.

Steiner had cited a compensation package from San Bernardino County that offers benefits that include matching county contributions to employee retirement plans up to 6% of their salaries.

Under Orange County’s new package, the county will offer a deferred compensation plan of up to 3% of salary for department heads and up to 6% of salary for elected officials and the county executive officer.

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On the Rise

Orange County supervisors’ compensation has increased 12% since June:

June 1998: $82,506

July 1998: $86,986

July 1999: $92,206

Source: Times reports