Still tinkering in Bell…
Tuesday, August 17th, 2010
I have previously written about the pay of city officials in the city of Bell, CA.
This whole story seems to be resonating throughout the country. It is easy to understand and a complete outrage. Now other cities are under the microscope.
Of 25 charter cities in Los Angeles County, fewer than half paid their council members more than $20,000 a year. Meanwhile Inglewood was paying $61,884; Vernon, $68,052; and Bell,nearly $100,000.
City council members in Vernon, Compton and Inglewoodreceive significantly higher compensation than most of their counterparts in Los Angeles County, according to a Los Angeles Times review of salary figures.
Council members in the industrial city of Vernon, which has fewer than 100 residents, earn $68,052 a year. By contrast, council members in Arcadia, a suburb of about 56,000, earn a maximum of $6,720.
Vernon kinds of sticks out doesn’t it? Less than 100 residents and pays its council members $68,052/year. What’s with that?
Vernon council members work part-time and receive a monthly salary of $5,671, plus reimbursements for business expenses and healthcare benefits. The city also makes an annual contribution to council members’ accounts in the California Public Employees’ Retirement system.
Officials there defended the compensation, saying that council members deal with a unique set of issues because Vernon is a largely industrial city.
“They are the core leadership that oversees the city’s important work,” said Mark Whitworth, interim city administrator. “Are they worth their money? Absolutely.”
I wonder how much Mr. Whitworth makes as the interim city administrator and if this brown nosing of the council members may be a ploy to take the “interim” out of his job title?
Just a thought.
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