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Extracted from Consolidated Report

This investigation was originally published as part of a larger consolidated report containing multiple investigations. View the consolidated PDF for the complete document.

Placer County Grand Jury • 2009-2010

City Managers Salaries - The Delicate Art of Setting Salaries

Published: June 16, 2010 24 pages
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Findings 10 findings

F1
On a national and statewide scale, city manager salaries tend to correlate with the size of the population, budget, or number of city government employees. This is not true for Placer County cities.
F2
Placer County municipalities, governed by elected councils, use the city manager model for operational management.
F3
Compared to the group sampled on January 25, 2010, documented in Figure 1, Salary Quartile, the city manager of Colfax would be in the second quartile if he were a full time employee. The current city manager of Roseville would be in the third quartile, and the previous city managers of Rocklin and Roseville would be off the chart. Compared to the Bay Area cities, even those with populations under 115,000, Placer County city/town managers take a much larger proportion of the municipal budget.
F4
How many city employees have been laid off during this past year? How many staff position vacancies have not been filled due to budget constraints
F5
Compared to the Bay Area cities, budget per capita is commensurate, but only one city in the County, Roseville, is even close in population size to any Bay Area City; so the total Bay Area budgets are much larger. Compared to the Bay Area cities, even those with populations under 115,000, Placer County city/town managers get more benefit dollars. Placer cities and town managers are paid more per employee they manage than their Bay Area counterparts, even though the Bay Area municipalities budget more per employee.
F6
With the shrinkage in city government budget and staff, has the compensation of the City Manager been adjusted?
F7
The Town of Loomis has not negotiated a reduction of the Town Manager's salary for FY 2009-2010.
F8
Rocklin's Carlos Urrutia retired at the end of 2009 but has stayed on at a fixed annual stipend of $139,000 with no benefits, until a replacement is found. Combined with his retirement checks, Mr. Urrutia is in line to collect over $300,000 this year. This arrangement currently saves the city over $95,000.
F9
The City of Colfax hired a new city manager in 2009. His part-time salary and benefits saved Colfax $55,000 overall from the previous city manager's contracted full-time salary and benefits.
F10
The City Councils of Auburn, Colfax, Lincoln, Rocklin, and Roseville have been successful in renegotiating a reduction in the contracted salaries and benefits of their city managers. City Manager Salaries 16

Recommendations 1