Paycheck and balances

By Diane Barney/Managing Editor

The story is in the numbers.

If you take a close look at the figures presented today in The Reporter's 23rd Survey of Public Pay (pages 1C-6C), you'll see that 2000 was a very good year for some of our top-paid public servants.

Their salaries and benefit packages reflect the prosperity that our country has enjoyed the past year. In fact, records were broken.

For the first time, a public servant's compensation package exceeded $200,000, although his base salary does not rank him at the top of the list.

For the first time, a woman shares the top ranking with a male peer.

For the first time, we've raised the threshold on our exclusive listing of top wage earners.

Last year, we knew the list was growing unwieldy when the "$100,000 Club" exceeded 60 names.

This year the bar has been raised to create the "$125,000 Club," and includes 14 rankings, with a total of 18 names, thanks to several ties.

You will find the salaries and benefit listings of more than 500 individuals who are the top-ranked public servants in northern Solano County. They run our cities, county government, schools, court, prisons, and a number of small districts and agencies.

Why publish such an extensive list every year? Because we believe it is The Reporter's responsibility as a public watchdog. We believe it is the public's right to know. These managers are, after all, on the public payroll.