Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Supes approve wage increases

By: Gus Thomson, Journal Staff Writer

Placer County supervisors could decide Dec. 19 on a replacement for Assemblyman-elect Ted Gaines.

Roseville's Gaines won the District Four state Assembly seat Nov. 7, polling 57 percent of the vote. He's scheduled to be sworn in to replace veteran Assemblyman Tim Leslie, R-Tahoe City, on Dec. 4.

County Counsel Anthony La Bouff outlined plans to supervisors Tuesday that could lead to selection of a replacement at the board's Dec. 19 meeting.

The board also took action at the meeting on a package of wage increases for county staff.

Supervisors have 30 days after Dec. 4 to make an appointment but the decision must be unanimous among the four remaining board members, he said.

If a decision can't be made, the job of appointing a replacement to serve out Gaines' term would go to the governor's office, La Bouff said.

Supervisors voted to have applications for the $30,000-a-year post processed through the Board of Supervisors office.

The minimum requirement is that the applicant has to have been a resident of Gaines' Fourth Supervisorial District for the past 30 days prior to appointment. Gaines said he has already submitted his letter of resignation to smooth the process of choosing a successor. He's said in the past that he's supporting former supervisor Kirk Uhler's bid to fill out the two remaining years of his four-year term.

La Bouff said applicants will be required to submit a completed application to Assistant County Executive Mike Boyle by the fifth working day after the notice posting.

After Boyle determines that the applicant has established residency in the district, applications received will be forwarded to the board.

The board agreed with La Bouff that formal interviews will not take place with the board. Individual meetings with any applicant are allowed, he said.

Among the questions candidates will be asked in a questionnaire that will accompany their applications is whether there is anything in their background, if made known to the general public through their appointment, which would cause embarrassment to themselves or the administration.

In other Board of Supervisors business:

n Supervisors gave final approval to four-year contracts and salary agreements with rank-and-file workers, management personnel and elected officials. The agreement with the Placer Public Employees Organization was adopted unanimously while agreements with management, including 68 equity adjustments, and elected officials - with some increases amounting to 32 percent through 2009 - were approved on 4-1 votes. Supervisors Bruce Kranz, who had said he didn't have enough background on the increases to make an informed decision, voted against approving the two increases.

Kranz and other supervisors were silent on the three votes and no one from the public spoke on the matter.

The Journal's Gus Thomson can be reached at gust@goldcountrymedia.com.