Top Santa Cruz city officials getting big raises
(12-17) 06:35 PST Santa Cruz, Calif. (AP) —
Top Santa Cruz city employees will receive a 10 to 22 percent pay increase in the new year.
The City Council approved the salary hikes at its meeting last Tuesday.
About 80 mid-management employees will receive pay hikes in January costing the city an additional $2.1 million each year.
City Manager Dick Wilson will earn $35,000 more, and Police Chief Howard Skerry also will see a substantial increase.
The raises come after a salary study completed in November shows Santa Cruz trails the median pay of other cities with similar populations and scope of services by 2 to 23 percent.
City officials say the raises are affordable now because of $12 million in salary savings due to 89 unfilled positions.
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Information from: Santa Cruz Sentinel, «www.santacruzsentinel.com»
