Sanitary District board pay increases to $295 a day
A 33% pay raise for the Costa Mesa Sanitary District board of directors took effect Monday.
The five elected representatives of the public trash and sewer agency will receive a $295 stipend for each day of work. The part-time board members are limited to working six days a month.
Directors had received $221 per day but voted themselves their first raise since 2007 earlier this summer.State law permits them increases of up to 5% per year.
A second procedural vote — concerning legal noticing about the raise — is scheduled to take place Thursday.
The directors approved the 33% bump during their June 25 meeting. Four were in favor; Bob Ooten dissented.
The raise followed a spring survey that examined the compensation of elected officials throughout Orange County.
The survey noted that while Costa Mesa Sanitary District directors make more per day than other elected officials, their overall compensation is less because they do not receive medical or retirement benefits or life insurance.
“We pretty much felt that being the lowest-compensated board in the entire area, and not having taken an increase in ... years, [the raise] was appropriate,” board President Mike Scheafer said Tuesday.
The day rate applies to meetings and public appearances.
“We put in a lot of work,” Scheafer added. “It takes away from a lot of other things.”
Ooten said the old stipend was “reasonably in line” with that of officials at similar public agencies. He said he is considering reversing his compensation to the $221 daily rate but needs to confirm with the district’s legal counsel that he is allowed to do so.
Before the boost, the directors could earn up to $15,912 a year. Their new maximum is $21,240.
By contrast, members of the part-time Costa Mesa City Council earn a flat $904.40 per month and are eligible for medical benefits, life insurance and a pension, bringing their total yearly compensation packages to around $33,000.
Mesa Water District directors earn $207 per day of service, up to 10 days per month. Though they cannot get pensions, they do receive life insurance plans and are eligible for medical benefits.
