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D.10
To: Board of Supervisors
From: David Twa, County Administrator
Date: October 28, 2014
Contra
Costa
County
Subject: Introduce Ordinance to Adjust Board of Supervisor Members Salaries
APPROVE OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE
Action of Board On: 10/28/2014
APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER
Clerks Notes:
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS
Contact: David Twa, County Administrator (925)
335-1086
cc:
Human Resources Harjit S. Nahal, Assistant Auditor-Controller
I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on
the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED: October 28, 2014
David J. Twa,

BY:
, Deputy

RECOMMENDATION(S):
INTRODUCE Ordinance No. 2014-10 amending the County Ordinance Code to adjust salary of members of the Board of
Supervisors and provide that such salary shall equate to seventy percent of the salary of California Superior Court judges.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Upon adoption this action would have a total annual additional cost of $235,000, $66,876 of which is pension cost.
BACKGROUND:
On July 29, 2014, the Board adopted Resolution No. 2014/260, which provided wage increases for elected department
heads to align with wages afforded to similar elected department heads for other Bay Area counties.
BACKGROUND: (CONT'D)

Since then, a salary study for Supervisors was conducted to compare Contra Costa Countys salaries with other counties.
The counties of Alameda, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma were used in the
salary study. Among these eight (8) counties, Contra Costa County is the third most populated county. Also, 6 of these 8
counties set their salaries as a percentage of that of the Superior Court judges. In fact, many counties in California also set
the Supervisors salaries as a percentage of that of the Superior Court judges. Of the 12 California counties designated as
Urban Counties based on population, 8 of those counties also set the

Supervisors salaries as a percentage of that of the Superior Court judges. Effective July 1, 2014 Superior Court judges,
including those in Contra Costa County, had their salaries increased to $184,610 thus resulting in an increase for
Supervisors in many of those same California counties.

In Contra Costa County, Supervisors' salaries are set by ordinance. The last time Supervisors adjusted their salaries was in
2006, and the last increase was July 1, 2007, when they received a 2% cost of living adjustment (COLA). The Supervisors
also took wage reductions from July 1, 2009, through July 31, 2013, along with a majority of our County employees. As a
result of this, Contra Costa County Supervisors' salaries are now the lowest in the State for Urban Counties, and the
second lowest for counties in the Bay Area.

On October 21, 2014, the County Administrator reported that because the Board has recently made adjustments for the
Contra Costa County elected department heads, it might be an appropriate time to consider also adjusting the Supervisors'
salaries which have not been increased for a number of years. In the Bay Area, Contra Costa County Supervisors' salaries
are near the bottom, with only Solano and Napa slightly higher or lower and those two counties have less than half the
population of Contra Costa County. Additionally, many of the Bay Area counties tie the Supervisors' salaries to a
percentage of the Superior Court judges salary, with the percentage ranging between 47% and 80%. Board members
considered the information provided, heard public testimony, and requested that an ordinance be prepared using 70% of
Superior Court judges' salaries. Additionally, the Board requested information be provided regarding other department
heads' salaries. The table below, sorted by annual salary, lists each department head classification and identifies elected
department heads with an asterisk.



As directed by the Board of Supervisors on October 21, 2014, attached is Ordinance 2014-10 that would increase
Supervisors salaries to an annual amount equivalent to seventy percent of Superior Court judges salaries and provide that
prospectively Supervisors salaries shall be increased at such times and in such percentages necessary to maintain a base
salary equivalent to seventy percent of judges salaries. This ordinance would amend Code section 24-26.006, Supervisors.
Both a clean and redline version of the Ordinance are attached for reference.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
New ordinance will not be introduced.
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