HomeMy WebLinkAbout2/4/2020 Item 9, Winholtz
Wilbanks, Megan
From:betty winholtz <
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:agenda item #9 compensation
Dear SLO City Council:
As a former 2-term city council member, I feel I have a perspective to offer
regarding compensation.
One of the things I resented as a council member was the use of
comparisons by city unions to get wage increases. Many, if not all city
unions in the county, used this technique to justify asking for increase
wages. No one wanted to be at the top or the bottom, but in the middle. So
they took turns being at the bottom to jump to the middle.
I feel like the table in Attachment D is doing the same thing. But what is
more disconcerting is comparing SLO to cities that have vastly larger
budgets, vastly larger populations, maybe one common characteristic, i.e.
college town, but not always. SLO is not a coastal city.
CITY POPULATION
Monterey 28,000
Paso Robles 32,000
SLO 47,000
Santa Cruz 65,000
Davis 69,000
Napa 79,000
Santa Barbara 91,000
Chico 95,000
Santa Maria 107,000
Ventura 111,000
CITY CITY BUDGET
Paso Roles $125,000
Chico 131,000
Davis 147,000
Monterey 162,000
Santa Maria 180,000
SLO 200,000
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Napa 252,000
Santa Cruz 292,000
Ventura 302,000
Santa Barbara ` 403,000
Then there is the plug that what this is really about is making it affordable
for people to run for office. That's not going to happen in SLO.
What I hope you consider is the intent of the position: service. Pay is a
bonus. Over the years, many council members and mayors put in 20-hour
work-weeks on top of our regular jobs. That's okay. We did it to serve, to
offer perspective, to offer good judgment. Frankly, in these days of Calpers
debt, you should be embarrassed to accept more pay.
Sincerely,
Betty Winholtz
former city council member
City of Morro Bay
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