OPINION: The Numbers that Won't be Talked About at the Finance Meeting

On Wednesday, Jan. 11 at the Crespi  Center starting at 6:30p.m., our city officials are hosting a financial meeting to sell us on the idea of increased taxes to cover the cost of their paychecks. A few numbers that most likely will not be discussed that night are the 80 employees that earned over $100,000 last year. Of those 80 employees, 44 earned over $120,000, 16 earned over $150,000 and two earned over $200,000. The fiscal crisis of Pacifica isn't a revenue issue but a payroll issue. Please let me explain. 

Several years ago during the real estate boom we had a dramatic increase in revenues thanks to the corresponding rise in property values. During that time, staff asked for and received very large increases to salaries, wages and benefits for all of our employees. However, when the housing market crashed, staff didn't volunteer to reduce their compensation increases to match new reality of lower revenues so we are left with their housing bubble wages without the housing bubble revenues. Rather than reduce compensation, staff is recommending cutting services so their paychecks wont change. 

The numbers that won't be batted around on Jan. 11 are the actual W2 line 5 totals for the following positions: City Manager: $195,872; Administration Services Director: $$172,849; Planning Director: $212,760; City Attorney: $200,751; Director of Public Works: $172,716; Deputy Fire Chief: $184,185; Police Chief: $164,287 and so on for another 73 employees each earning over $100,000 a year. 

God bless our city employees but to cut library services, senior services or what ever paycheck saving services our senior staff, department heads, fire and police may target, none of that is necessary if they all agree to a scaled reduction in pay of 1 percent for every $10,000 earned.