Politico Payday In Charlotte-Mecklenburg
When payday rolls around for local elected officials, not everyone pockets the same amount of loot. And in at least one case, the dollar disparity has sparked a squabble over what should be considered appropriate compensation for our governing class.
It started, as many political dust-ups in Charlotte-Mecklenburg do, with an email from Commissioner Bill James, who earlier this year took aim at the separation package being awarded outgoing Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent Peter Gorman. Or as James subtly phrased it, the superintendent’s “golden parachute” retirement account of nearly $180,000.
That drew a sharp rejoinder from school board member Rhonda Lennon, who sought to put Gorman’s retirement package into perspective and used the salary and benefits for county commissioners as an example.
“The money being spent by taxpayers on you and the BOCC [board of county commissioners] benefits is probably higher than the annuity CMS paid Gorman the past 4 years or at least close,” Lennon wrote. “Combine that with the salary you guys are paid (almost double the BOE – [Board of Education]) and the extremely high travel and expense benefit, and the cost is a bit staggering to me as a taxpayer.”
So how much are Mecklenburg County commissioners paid for their public service, and how does it compare to their counterparts on the CMS Board of Education? Lennon wasn’t far off the mark.
A county commissioner receives an annual base salary of $22,369, along with an annual technology allowance of $2,900, a travel allowance of $3,528, and an expense allowance of $4,320. Bottom line: $33,118 a year. But it doesn’t stop there. Commissioners can also partake of the county’s benefits plan at the same rate offered full-time employees: a monthly premium of $50 for a standard medical plan, offered through Cigna Medical, with the county picking up the monthly balance of $488.
Board of Education members, by contrast, have to cover the full cost of medical benefits, if they choose to participate in the school system’s plan. And school board members draw about half in annual salary and allowances than their counterparts on the board of commissioners.
Board of Education members receive an annual base salary of $12,237 and a monthly expense allowance of $370. Bottom line: $16,677 a year. The board’s chairman, Eric Davis, does marginally better with a base salary of $15,908 and a monthly expense allowance of $470, for a total annual take of $21,548.
Similarly, the board of commissioners’ chairman, Jennifer Roberts, receives a slightly larger amount than her board colleagues – and significantly higher than her school board chair counterpart. Roberts’ annual base salary is $27,962, along with a technology allowance of $2,900, a $3,528 travel allowance, and a $4,680 expense allowance. Bottom line: $39,070 a year.
“I don’t think any of us on the BOCC (with perhaps one or two exceptions) are in this for the money,” Commissioner Karen Bentley wrote, when she jumped into the James/Lennon e-mail thread on compensation for elected officials.
“If you don’t like your salary structure,” Bentley wrote to Lennon, “put the discussion on the agenda and vote to change it.”
Countered Lennon: “I am not complaining in the least about the BOE structure, just comparing it to yours. I consider my work on the board a public service and the stipend I receive is minimal but appropriate.”
“I just think it’s interesting,” Lennon said in an interview,” that the people who ultimately control the purse strings [i.e. the board of commissioners] are the ones who make, by far, the most money.”
That sentiment holds true even on the city side of the ledger, where councilmembers and the mayor pocket less every year than county commissioners and their board chairman, but still manage to rake in a tidy sum.
Charlotte city councilmembers receive an annual compensation of $26,784, which includes a base monthly pay of $1,416 coupled with a monthly expense allowance of $483 and a monthly car allowance of $333.
Mayor Anthony Foxx receives nearly $37,000 a year, which includes a base monthly pay of $1,833, a monthly expense allowance of $833 and a monthly car allowance of $400.
For added benefits, councilmembers and the mayor can participate in the city’s health insurance plan with BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina, at a cost of $123 per month, with the city picking up the $327 monthly balance. Currently, only Foxx and councilmembers Jason Burgess and David Howard are not enrolled with the city’s health plan.
Whether it’s the city council, board of commissioners, or board of education, elected officials receive what by most standards is a nice chunk of ka-ching for holding a part-time position and the privilege of spending even more of other people’s money on a regular basis.
The question then becomes: are they worth it, or are they overpaid?
Compensation Comparisons (annual salary and allowances):
CMS Board of Education
Chairman: $21,548
Members: $16,677
Guilford County Board of Education
Members and Chairman: $11,400 (the entire board has an annual travel allowance of $3,320).
Wake County Board of Education
Chairman $21,171 (includes a monthly $252 travel allowance)
Members $17,868 (includes a monthly $252 travel allowance)
Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners
Chairman: $39,070
Members: $33,118
Guilford County Board of Commissioners
Chairman $24,300 (includes annual $720 cell phone allowance)
Members: $20,700 (includes annual $720 cell phone allowance)
Charlotte City Council
Mayor: $36,792
Members: $26,784
Greensboro City Council
Mayor: $15,233
Councilmember: $11,576
(note: total for all councilmembers annual car allowance – $1,800; total meeting expenses to include travel/training allowance for whole council – $34,058)
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