DeMaio Releases Annual Report on City Employee Compensation
For the seventh year running, San Diego Councilmember Carl DeMaio today released the Annual Report on City Employee Compensation. This year’s report reveals the top salaries and pension payouts in city government and examines total compensation costs (salaries and benefits) for different city job classifications.
While the public repeatedly hears that city employees are taking “pay cuts,” the findings of the report indicate lingering problems and highlight the high costs of compensation packages awarded to San Diego city employees.
“At a time when the city faces a severe budget deficit, the latest data on city employee compensation shows that there is still plenty of room to trim city labor costs,” commented DeMaio.
DeMaio’s report provides data from the city’s payroll system as well as the city’s pension administrator. Among the findings in this year’s report:
- “$100,000 Club” for Current City Employees: The number of city employees earning $100,000 or more in salary has stabilized – up by only 10 employees from last year – but remains 44% higher than just two years ago.
- “$100,000 Club” for Retired City Employees: The number of city pensioners earning $100,000 or more has increased 32% in one year – to 285 – with the highest pension allowance hitting $299,103 last year.
- 2,751 Raises since July 2008: Even as the city struggles with a severe budget deficit, city payroll records indicate that 2,751 raises were given to city employees since July 2008 – with 759 raises granted in the first 5 months of Fiscal Year 2010. These raises reflect the ability of management to award “step” increases to individual employees even though the city’s labor contracts may not include across-the-board raises. These raises do not include bonuses awarded, such as the 1,400 Utilities Department bonuses previously revealed.
- High Total Compensation Costs: The report provides a budget breakdown of costs for total compensation (salary plus benefits) for various city positions. Some examples: Police Officer II ($122,145 not including overtime), Firefighter II ($105,423 not including overtime), Electrician ($81,650), and Sr. Clerk/Typist ($66,947)
In light of the findings of the report, DeMaio called for reform of the “step” salary increase program. “This report reinforces the need for the Mayor and City Council to continue to reform city employee compensation until it is in line with the local labor market,” DeMaio noted. “Commendable progress has been made, but clearly more can and should be done to reduce labor costs,” DeMaio said.
A copy of the full report can be accessed online at www.CleanUpCityHall.com