Colusa supervisors vote selves raise

Colusa County supervisors have given themselves a 20 percent pay raise, from $24,000 to $28,800 a year, to help make up for what board members said is an increased workload.

“Absent a county administrative officer, this board has been forced to become more hands-on for the county,” board chairman Mark Marshall said following the vote. “This has resulted in a huge time commitment and takes away from our regular jobs or careers.”

The increase raises each supervisor’s pay from $2,000 to $2,400 per month beginning in February. The raise increases annual compensation for the full board from to about $120,000 to $144,000 annually.

The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the pay hike on Tuesday.

“I was surprised there wasn’t anyone from the public to voice their concerns,” said Supervisor Thomas Indrieri. “But in general, I hope that citizens realize that without a CAO, our jobs as supervisors have nearly tripled the amount of time that it takes to tackle the multiple issues facing Colusa.”

A dissenting letter from the former 1st District candidate Elaine Rominger, whom Supervisor Kim Dolbow Vann narrowly defeated in 2006, was the only opposition voice entered into the record.

The raise is the first for the board since 2000. In November 2003, the board voted unanimously to cut its own salaries by 20 percent in response to a budget crisis at that time.

“We don't have a budget crisis now,” said Vann.

In comparison, Sutter County supervisors are paid $34,471 a year, while Yuba County supervisors are paid $46,248 annually.

“The approved general fund budget has increased 11 percent from last year,” said Peggy Scroggins, Colusa County’s auditor-controller.

“The across-the-board cuts just brought the budget in line with estimated revenues. So, even though we experienced some across-the-board cuts, the overall department budgets did increase.”

Indrieri said Colusa County is “at a crossroads.”

“Colusa is facing significant growth issues, and this is something that we need as we move forward,” he said. “This board works very well together, and I don’t believe we're overburdening the citizens.”

Marshall said the pay increase is a sign of positive growth in Colusa.

“The county is open for business and we want everyone in the public to know that,” he said.

Robert Parsons is a reporter for the Colusa County Sun-Herald. He can be reached at 458-2121; you may e-mail him at rparsons@tcnpress.com

Annual pay for county supervisors in Colusa and nearby counties:

Colusa (as of February 2008): $28,800

Yuba: $46,248

Sutter: $34,471

Yolo: $56,640

Glenn: up to $31,800

Lake: $60,000 for the board chair, $57,684 for other members

Sierra: $26,844

All the counties listed except Colusa and Sierra counties have a chief administrative officer.