Each Commissioner’s budget and that of the Board Secretary were included in this review. There was discussion that the Board Secretary’s budget should be reduced by at least 5% from 2009. Commissioner Silvestri said that he thinks it is wrong that he and 6 other Commissioners have reduced their budgets by 5% from 2009 in accordance with the President’s request, while 6 others have proposed increases and 4 have stayed the same. Further he noted that he and only some of the other Commissioners reduced their budgets by 4% last year in compliance with an across the board reduction. While in the ensuing discussion, no individual names were used, the proposed budget reflects that Commissioners Collins, Sims, Murphy, and Reyes have sought increases (ranging from $24,000 to $50,000); Commissioners Steele, Beavers, Moreno, Suffredin, Peraica, and Gorman have essentially held their budgets the same or with negligible increases (less than $5,000); and Commissioners Butler, Silvestri, Gainer, Daley, Claypool (who is not running for re-election), Goslin, and Schneider have all reduced their budgets (ranging from $17,500 to $28,000).
Commissioner Schneider, who is in his first term, said he recognized that the Commissioners will not have the same budgets because longer-serving Commissioners will have longer-serving staff who, in accordance with county practices, will have higher salaries.
--Submitted by Observer Pris Mims
