Salary Reductions 

Submitted by: Supervisor Pat Bates, Chair, Orange County Board of Supervisors

Signifying our commitment to fiscal responsibly, last week the Orange County Board of Supervisors voted to reduce our own salaries and those of 97 department heads and top managers by 5 percent.  Other elected officials in the County, including the Sheriff, District Attorney, Treasurer, Clerk-Recorder, Public Administrator, Auditor-Controller and Assessor, have indicated they will also accept the 5 percent pay cut.  This action amounts to approximately $625,000 dollars in savings to the County over the next year, which the Board intends to redirect to departments that have been forced to make difficult budget reductions.

The Board opted to exclude Social Services Agency executives from the cuts because they have already taken 8 to 10 percent pay cuts through furloughs.  Additionally, earlier this year department heads and executive management chose to defer their 2 percent performance based salary increases, which brings their total salary reductions to 7 percent.

As you can see, your county leaders understand the severity of our budget challenges. While no cuts are easy, they are necessary to make and during these tough economic times the Board joins all levels of County employees in contributing to the solution, starting at the top.