LAKEPORT— With spiraling inflation nipping at the feet of Lake County employees recently, a salary increase passed by the Board of Supervisors arrived at an opportune time following intense horse trading, yet a slim majority nosed across the finish line on Tuesday in Lakeport.
The BOS adopted a revision amending Resolution 2023-117 approving increased compensation adjustments for Fiscal Year 2023-24 benefitting Budget Unit 2201 of the Sherriff-Coroner as well as for Budget Unit 2301, the Sherriff-Jail employees, noted BOS Chair Jessica Pyska. In the majority supporting Pyska, were District 1 Supervisor Moke Simon and District 3 Supervisor Eddie Crandell. District 2 Supervisor Bruno Sabatier abstained, while District 4 Supervisor Michael Green
cast the lone no vote. For the Sheriff-Coroner office there were only three unfunded full-time equivalent employees out of 70 and only two for the Sheriff-Jail employees out of a total of 61.
The new salary bench was based on a Sept. 21, 2023 meet and confer process. The resolution also amended the Sheriff-Coroner Unit by deleting four deputy I/II allocations and two Deputy Sheriff I/II from funded to unfunded status. Increased salaries ranged from $20.18 an hour to $39.31 an hour and from $6,484 per month to $15,773 per month.
Sabatier noted he was at unease with the process made during earlier budget negotiations because it required to negotiate in public meetings. “A proposition was made during our budget negotiations- some data were brought to unions, and nothing was brought to the Board, then what was on the Consent Agenda,” he said. “I’d love to see things go to close session because there are some missing pieces.” He went on that information presented to the Board did not include critical financial data from where they were (with salaries) and where they are now. “It doesn’t provide the percentage of the increases,” he said.
Human Resources Director Pam Samac explained she thought her department had instructions to conduct a Meet and Confer process. “I did a meet and confer and sent that information out to the unions. We’re trying to move forward with the increases proposed by the Sheriff’s Office. And the unions are in agreement with the raises presented in the meet and confer.”
Sabatier acknowledged Sheriff Rob Howe’s appraisal that there is a staffing emergency in his office and not going ahead with salary increases could undermine recruitment. Deferring to Howe’s insight Sabatier then proposed to have an extra item added to the Oct. 17 BOS agenda to address the staffing emergency during the closed session already scheduled. “I know there’s a timeline to get it to the auditor-controller to get the changes within a certain date,” he said. “I’m trying to figure out how not to slow this down.” Howe added, “I don’t think there would be any hindrance moving forward in having a discussion.”
Pyska then recognized the strong feelings of opinion and wondered aloud if they should bring the item back to next week’s closed session. Green then questioned if there was a deadline for a decision. Samac said there is always a deadline, on the 21st of the month when the payroll cycle starts over again. ” We’re trying to get it, so it’ll impact the Dec. 1st check.”
Green then responded, “Nothing I’ve heard today constitutes an emergency, so I’m opposed to that. And I’m opposed to signing off and then do a post-dated review in closed session. Simplest thing, bring it back in Oct. 24 for a closed session. It would probably not make the Dec. 1 deadline, but we’d ensure that we’d answer all the questions we have about the Meet and Confer process. So, I think we have a consensus that we go back to a closed session.”
Still, Samac admitted she was confused. “I thought direction was move forward with the Meet and Confer process with the numbers the Sheriff gave us, which we’ve done. But now were saying we haven’t met the process.”
Pyska confirmed they did give that direction. “But I don’t want to hold up the raises either,” she said. “They’re critical. “I’m OK with passing and moving forward with closed session, so we can have a conversation without impacting these raises.”
Sabatier made a pitch for closed session for today, Friday or Saturday this week. “But today is not a chance for review but for chance to pass or not to pass something,” he said. “I’d say, a special meeting would make time to make this happen.”
Yet Simon reminded the board of their prior conversations to get this issue resolved before the end of the year and he was prepared to move forward. On his motion the board’s slim majority carried the day for county employee raises.
