Sacramento County Supervisors give themselves a $34,059 pay raise, increased vehicle allowance
Salary set at 75 % of Superior Court Judges
At their meeting this morning, the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors voted 4 – 1 to give themselves a 20-percent pay raise. The only supervisor voting against the raise was District 4 representative Sue Frost.
The item was placed in the consent calendar. Commenting on the matter, Frost said she went back and forth on the pay raise and the increased car allowance, noting the long hours each supervisor works and the several boards they serve on but could not be supportive.
“Given the fact that many of my constituents are suffering from increased inflation and increase prices, it’s difficult to give myself a raise at the same time others are suffering,” she said (see her entire commentary in the video below).
According to the staff report, in 1991, supervisors’ pay was set at 55 percent of municipal judges’ salary, and in 2001, following court consolidation to 55 percent of Sacramento Superior Court judge’s pay. Supervisor’s salaries will now be 75 percent of the median Sacramento Supervisor Court judge pay, resulting in a 20 percent pay increase [from 55 percent].
Responding to questions from Supervisor Phil Serna, county executive Ann Edwards noted this pay increase was generated by county staff and was not requested by any of the five supervisors.
“This was a staff-driven item to come to the board; we routinely look at equity adjustments for all county employees and recognized we had not done that for board members since 1991,” Edwards told the supervisors.
Edwards added that salary surveys of other similar-sized counties revealed that “you were all far below the median, which is what we use when looking at all county employees.”
According to the report, the total cost of the increase in fiscal year 2024, which starts on July 1, is $173,296, of which $3,000 is for increased car allowances. The balance of $170,296 equates to an increase of $34,059.
The supervisor’s current annual salary is $127,159, which will now grow immediately to $161,218. In addition, car allowances for District 5 Supervisor Pat Hume will increase from $575 to $625 monthly, while the other four supervisors will be increased to $550 from $500 monthly.
