GILROY
– Despite a job performance the mayor called deserving of a
raise, City Council and City Administrator Jay Baksa jointly agreed
Monday not to pay the 30-year city manager any more in 2004 than he
already makes.
GILROY – Despite a job performance the mayor called deserving of a raise, City Council and City Administrator Jay Baksa jointly agreed Monday not to pay the 30-year city manager any more in 2004 than he already makes.
Baksa will take home his $164,160 base salary again next year since the state’s economic woes have made it politically inappropriate, if not fiscally impossible, for Council to up his paycheck. For fiscal year 2003-04, the city is using $2 million of its rainy day funds to cover budget gaps.
“It may only be a savings to the city of a few dollars, but it was a matter of principle,” Mayor Tom Springer said regarding the decision not to give the popular city manager a raise.
Council responded with its own fiscally responsible gesture by placing its own salary freeze on the Nov. 3 meeting agenda. Council could waive its 2.2 percent cost of living increase that would have been triggered in January.
“The rest of Council all seems in consensus that there should be a moratorium for 2004 on the usual yearly increase,” Springer said.
Councilmembers receive a monthly compensation of $687 a month plus benefits. The mayor receives $1,030 plus benefits. Not giving themselves a raise would save the city roughly $1,340 a year.
The savings can be significant depending on how one looks at it. For instance, the city waives $20 off activity registration fees for children from low-income families. The $1,340 savings, in theory, makes it possible to give those scholarships to 67 more kids next year.
According to Councilman Bob Dillon, who is supporting the pay raise freeze, earmarking the savings was not discussed in closed session Monday.
“This is a small amount of money,” Dillon said. “We’re just doing some leading by example.”
As for Baksa’s salary, the veteran city manager will still get a 3 percent cost of living increase for the second half of 2003 and an additional inflation adjustment of 2 percent that kicks in January 2004.
Baksa’s past two raises have ranged from $5,000 to $7,800 a year. Last year, he deferred his 5 percent raise ($7,800) toward his pension plan. In December 2001, $2,500 went toward his base salary and another $2,500 was put in his retirement account.
