STOCKTON-
Stockton Mayor Anthony Silva faces a drastic pay cut after the City Salary Setting Commission decided Thursday to lower his salary by more than $32,000.
Silva current gets paid around $104,000 annually. However, the commission recommends he receive around $72,000 instead.
“It makes my job more difficult,” Silva told FOX40. “My budget here at City Hall is zero. I’ve not been afforded the same personnel that mayors in the past given and now they want to reduce my salary.”
The Stockton City Charter says every two years, the Commission shall recommend the city council their salaries and benefits.
Traditionally, the city mayor has had the same salary as the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors chairperson. Documents show since 2001, the mayor’s salary has steadily increased from around $61,000 to $104,000 in conjunction with the County Board chairperson.
But when voters decided to change that portion of the charter last November, the commission began crunching numbers.
“We looked at things like the consumer price index the average salary of mayors of throughout the state of California in positions where the city was roughly the same or are similar to our own where the mayor was a full-time mayor,” Shellie Lima, Chairperson of the Commission said.
Lima said they looked at cities like Fresno, Bakersfield and Hayward for reference.
As a result, Thursday evening, the Commission decided 3-2, the mayor should be given $72,000 annually- the lowest since 2005.
No changes were made for part-time Council members’ pay. it will stay at around $23,000. However, the Commission is recommending they get full-time benefits.
“In the scheme of things in Stockton the mayor salary is not very high on my priority list but of course lowering somebody’s salary by $33,000 certainly has its toll,” Silva said. “I’ll just have to make the best of it.”
The official draft will be given to Council at a later time, where seven members including the Mayor will vote on this. If the change is made, the $72,000 salary will go into effect on July 1, 2015.