Top managers' piece of the pay pie

By Julie Davidow/Staff Writer

For the first time in 23 years, a woman tops the base pay heap for government managers in Solano County, although she shares the spot with a male counterpart, according to The Reporter's 2000 Survey of Public Pay.

Also for the first time, a manager's total compensation package has exceeded $200,000.

Dr. Susan Downs, chief psychiatrist at California State Prison, Solano and Dr. Larry Dizmang, chief psychiatrist at California Medical Facility earned the same base salary this year: $166,020.

Vacaville City Manager John Thompson is the first public employee in Solano County whose earnings eclipsed $200,000. Including salary and benefits, Thompson earned at least $211,774 in 2000.

Thompson ranked No. 1 last year in total compensation as well, but fell from second to third place this year in base salary.

Downs ranked third in 1999, with a base salary of $140,961, while Dizmang came in 10th in 1999 with $128,484.

Solano County Administrator Michael Johnson, who ranked first in base salary last year with $143,280, fell to second place this year behind Downs and Dizmang with $156,462.

The lowest paid full-time non-elected person included in the survey was Silveyville Cemetery District Manager Mike Obelleiro, whose total compensation package added up to $49,861, including $41,870 in base salary.

The survey includes Vacaville, Fairfield, Dixon, Suisun City, and Rio Vista, as well as agencies that serve the county, but not the cities of Benicia and Vallejo.

Throughout the county, salary increases sailed upward this year as public agencies competed with each other and the private sector for competent employees.

According to the federal government's Bay Area Consumer Price Index, the cost of living is up about 4.7 percent from October 1999 to October 2000.

From schools to cemetery districts, average pay raises for top managers in the county exceeded that figure.

Health care costs also rose, hitting some public agencies with increased contributions to employees' plans.

Vacaville Unified School District paid an additional 8 percent for HealthNet and Kaiser increases for all employees except teachers. Per a contract agreement reached earlier this year, teachers switched their health benefits to the Public Employees Retirement System, which has not yet raised its premiums.

The city of Fairfield doled out generous raises to its employees this year, as well. Most pay hikes for Fairfield top managers were between 12 percent and 16 percent. Assistant City Manager Nancy Huston received the largest pay increase: 24.6 percent.

Total base salary costs for Vacaville's top managers is up 12.4 percent, while total compensation is up 11.7 percent. It doesn't mean that top employees received 12 percent raises. An addition of three new city positions - human resources manager, information technology systems manager and risk managers - affected the numbers.

Raises for managers in the city of Dixon and Suisun City were all over the board. In Suisun City, pay increases for top city employees ranged from 3.3 percent for building official Dan Kasperson and recreation director John Jessop to 11 percent for Police Chief Ron Forsythe and 13 percent for Fire Chief Mike O'Brien.

In Dixon, City Manager Warren Salmons received no raise while the police chief, public works director and city clerk received 2.5 percent increases. The fire chief and finance director received 7.6 percent pay raises.

Six additional public agencies responded to this year's survey, including the Cordelia Fire Protection District, the Silveyville Cemetery District, the Solano County Mosquito Abatement District, the Suisun Fire Protection District, the Suisun Resource Conservation District, and the Vacaville Fire Protection District.

The Reporter requested salary and benefits figures from government agencies at the end of November and asked for a response by Dec. 8. In the interim, some of the names that appear may have retired or left for other jobs.