Orange County supervisors balked this week at a request to increase salary ranges for government managers that could have allowed some executives' pay to reach nearly $250,000 a year.
The higher pay ranges could affect more than 1,000 supervising employees.
None of the managers are making anywhere near that now, officials said. Still, three supervisors blanched at raising pay ceilings 10% for administrators, 20% for executive managers and 23% for law enforcement brass. Aides to supervisors would see a 6% increase in maximum pay.
The more generous salary-range plan was proposed by the county's human resources department to help the county recruit and retain top-drawer managers.
If approved, about 45 people would get an immediate pay bump, at a cost of about $150,000 more a year.
The highest-paid employees would include deputy chief executive officers, deputy chief financial officers and department heads.
Supervisors Bill Campbell, Chris Norby and Chuck Smith said they should have been briefed on the proposal, which was included in their agenda packets.
"It raises a question of how did we get to these numbers," Campbell said after Smith declared he wouldn't vote for the higher rates because they hadn't been justified.
Action on the new pay ranges was postponed until Dec. 7.
The rates were negotiated with the Orange County Managers Assn. from a compensation plan that was approved by the board in February, but which lacked salary specifics.
Department heads, who would qualify for the new salaries, backed the proposal because it would give them greater flexibility to woo people from private jobs to fill county posts.
The biggest surge in salary potential would go to Sheriff's Department managers, whose upper pay limit would jump from about $120,000 a year to nearly $150,000. The spread is needed, officials argued, to maintain an "appropriate" salary distance between bosses and subordinates.
All management employees will receive an additional 2% salary bonus in January if they meet certain job-performance expectations.
The bonus program, approved by supervisors, is expected to cost $1.8 million.
Supervisors agreed to some salary adjustments Tuesday -- consolidating 12 pay ranges into one, with 132 administration classifications reduced to three.
