2014-02-26 Minutes Salary Commission

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Salary Commission February 26, 2014 Ms. Toriano replied that he makes a very good point. We are transitioning from what used to be a tiered compensation plan to a plan focused on each and every position, and there is also the concern of salary inversion. Ms. Toriano explained that Tier #1 is the highest level of the County, which is the Mayor; Tier #2 is generally the larger departments; and Tier #3 is the smaller departments. When the previous Salary Commission approached the creation of a tiered system, they went through a very arduous process in creating the criteria for each of the tiers. Interviews were held with the incumbents to guide and help them determine which tier they belonged to. At that time, the Parks and Recreation Department responded in a lengthy memorandum; however, it was determined that their department would be in Tier #3. Ms. Toriano commented that over time, the position of the Director of Parks and Recreation has taken on a great amount of responsibility. The complexities as they exist today are different from what they faced in the past. The expectations of the public have also changed with time. The handout Mr. Honma provided speaks volumes as to what his department faces today. Does the department still belong in Tier #3? The answer is, "No," because we no longer have a tiered system. Ms. Stroh stated that it is a very broad perspective of Mr. Honma's department as well as very complex—as times have changed. There's duplication of his job duties when it should be handled by other departments, and thinks their whole department should be restructured and reorganized. However, she agrees that his pay scale needs to be updated. Ms. Toriano proceeded to explain Proposals #3 and #4, which are across-the-board increases (SEE PREVIOUS ATT. B): Proposal #3: The areas highlighted in yellow are an exception to the 4% across-the-board increase. She referenced the Parks and Recreation Director's salary of $102,960, representing an 8.4% increase (a dollar increase of $8,676), which is equal to the Directors of Housing, Planning, and Human Resources. Some of the other highlighted positions reflect "0" (zero) because those positions have already received salary increases from the Salary Commission; however, this does not mean that the positions should not be considered. She wanted to identify not only those positions, but to also identify the other component, which are salary inversions. For example, referencing the "Chief of Police," in the column entitled, "HIGHEST PAID SUBORDINATE," in the "01/01/14" column, highlighted in red is the amount of $127,992. It's at that point where a subordinate salary would exceed that of the Deputy Chief of Police ($126,894). Page 5