S. Tahoe discloses actual salary, benefit figures
By Kathryn Reed
South Lake Tahoe officials have provided Lake Tahoe News with exact dollar amounts for how salaries and benefits are broken down. This intervention was needed because the figures could not be ferreted out based on published documents provided by the city.
Total salaries for 2010-11 are $16,851,913; benefits total $9,849,239; making for a grand total of $26,701,152, according to the city.
There are 205.75 full-time employees in the city. The dollar figures account for the part time and seasonal employees as well.
Lake Tahoe News had come up with nearly $33 million for the total. This is because the budget says the personnel services encompass health, dental, vision and so on.
“We checked the calculation and the difference results because the consultant you had do the calculation included benefits budgeted in the Health Self Insurance and Workers Compensation funds,” South Lake Tahoe Finance Director Christine Vuletich wrote to Lake Tahoe News. “Then the actual expenses paid out for health insurance premiums and claims, and workers compensation premiums and claims are paid from these two internal service funds [Health Self Insurance and Workers Compensation]. So the consultant essentially counted these expenses twice.”
LTN admits to having counted them twice and apologizes to readers for first publishing inflated salary-benefit totals. But the exercise points to the convoluted budgeting and reporting processes the city continues to use which in turn makes it impossible for the public to know exactly where its tax dollars are being spent without continued dialog with city staff.
Budgets are not normally so complex.
I’m getting $129,774.74 spent for salary and benefits averaged/person, if I’m correct.
It’s nice to make that much, and that kind of salary supports other businesses in town, but we are paying for it. Other people can’t even get a job making $30,000.00/year in this economy.
Is it possible to publish the individual workers salary and wage scales, plus what benefits they get. Similar to what the Sacramento Bee does for City and County of Sacramento and California State workers by name. I believe this is all public information.
By law, the city does not have to provide names with salaries. They have to provide them separately and let the public figure out who makes what.
This story https://www.laketahoenews.net/2010/10/south-tahoe-el-dorado-salary-stats-finally-on-state-website/ gives the state website to find out salaries.
This website is for city employees: http://www.cityofslt.us/directory.html.
Police are listed on this website: http://www.sltpd.com/employees.asp.
Kathryn Reed, LTN publisher
I believe your math is correct Careaboutthecommunity! When someone previously blogged that nobody is getting rich working for the City, sure seems like more than a few are doing pretty darn well! And that’s by anyone’s standards, not just Tahoe’s!
The Finance Director again shows the Jinkens’ influence! Rather than being open, Ms. Vuletich only responds when she thinks she can catch you in a mistake. Thus trying to discourage anyone from ‘snooping around’!
If the City wants its citizens to have accurate info., the solution is simple-Make It Public! But it’s quite apparent they don’t want the info. public as it shows what a sweet deal they have! Way to keep on this story LTN!!
To see the public information on salaries by Job Classification Title (e.g. City Manager, Public Works Director, Fire Department Division Chief, etc.), the State Controller’s Office Website publishes this information for all cities and counties. Go to http://www.sco.ca.gov and follow the intuitive links to get to South Lake Tahoe. It will show you what was actually paid to the various positions during 2009 and the salary range for the job classification. Enjoy.
That’s more than the average salary at Google… they have to pay enough to support a much more expensive regional cost of living.
This is why productive people are leaving the state in droves.
No bailouts for California – You did this to yourselves.
It is going to get really bad. The state citizen have had their collective heads up their collective rear – its all there – it’s not rocket science. Granted it has been hidden from the public to a degree by the Government Accounting Standards (GASB).
This fine reporter that brought this info out has earned my respect.
As they say the more government pays its employees the less the taxpayers have. Also government becomes a kingdom unto itself and you are the serfs.
doubleblack,
Surfs, you got that right. That is one of the reasons the founding fathers saw value in state rights.
I am not a Surf, I am moving my business out of California.