Sanitation Agency Head Wins Perks From Board : Benefits: The general manager of the Ventura district would also get up to $67,600 if his job is eliminated.

After a heated debate, the board of the Ventura Regional Sanitation District gave final approval Thursday to a contract that awards its general manager perks valued at about $8,700 a year, including an additional week off with pay.

The one-year contract, approved by a 5-4 vote, would also give General Manager Clint Whitney up to $67,600 in severance pay if his position is eliminated by the proposed countywide waste authority.

Supporters of the raise praised Whitney, who was paid nearly $116,000 in salary and benefits last year, for keeping sanitation costs down and operating the district efficiently.

Board member Alex Fiore, who voted in favor of the contract, defended the raise, saying Whitney had earned it.

“It’s been a year since his last increase in pay and his evaluation was for the most part exceptional to outstanding,” said Fiore, who is also a Thousand Oaks city councilman.

Contract opponents praised Whitney’s performance but questioned the prudence of boosting his benefits while cities, the county and the state are facing severe budget cutbacks.

“My duty is to protect the public welfare and that includes the public money,” board member and Ojai City Councilwoman Nina Shelley said. “I cannot in good conscience support this recommended contract.”

Board member Charlotte Craven, who also opposed the contract, said the board should have considered the raise before approving the district budget in June.

But Fiore dismissed the suggestion with a sharp retort. “Give me a break, Charlotte,” Fiore snapped. “That’s micro-management.”

Whitney, 56, asked the board to increase his compensation when his contract came up for renewal in June. The district, which has a $25-million budget, operates Bailard and Toland landfills and oversees trash disposal for all of the county except Moorpark and Simi Valley.

“I’m totally satisfied with the board’s decision,” Whitney said after the vote. “It’s a good package.” Whitney had initially asked for nine months of severance pay, but was given six.

At its July 1 meeting, the board agreed to allow Whitney to cash in on overtime worth up to $11,500 if his job is eliminated. Under his original contract agreement, Whitney’s six months of severance pay was valued at $50,000.

The board sweetened the deal Thursday by agreeing to award Whitney an additional $6,100 in cash for perks he would have received during those six months.

In renewing Whitney’s contract, the board also agreed to give Whitney a fourth week of paid vacation each year, valued at $1,952, and to contribute an additional $6,738 a year in retirement benefits.

Perks already written into Whitney’s contract include a $6,000-a-year car allowance, $5,400 in annual health benefits and a five-year $190,000 retirement fund that was part of a package to entice him to take the job two years ago, said Jocelyn Schad-Komers, assistant general manager of the sanitation district.

Whitney’s pay and benefits package is comparable with those awarded other top county officials. In 1991, the most recent year for which such information is available, the chief administrative officer received a compensation package worth nearly $184,000. The director of the county’s Health Care Agency received $146,000, the public works director received $128,000, the county counsel $137,000 and the fire chief $105,600.

Board members who joined Fiore in support of the raise were Oxnard City Councilman Andres Herrera, Port Hueneme Mayor Orvene Carpenter, Fillmore City Councilman Donald Gunderson, and James Acosta, who represents Ventura County Waterworks, Channel Islands Beach Community Services and other special districts.

In addition to Shelley and Craven, opponents of the contract were Ventura City Councilman Gary Tuttle and Santa Paula City Councilman Wayne Johnson.

Whitney said he sought the enhanced severance package after state Sen. Cathie Wright (R-Simi Valley) proposed a countywide waste authority. If enacted, the authority would assume many of the sanitation district’s responsibilities, dramatically reducing the scope of work performed by the general manager.

But under the contract, Whitney would only be eligible for the severance package if he were fired by the district, not if he quit, Schad-Komers said.

“It’s an important distinction that I don’t think many people are aware of,” she said.

Oxnard resident Ventura Fernandez, 62, who spoke during the public comment period in angry opposition to the contract, said the distinction did not matter.

“I don’t believe in severance pay,” the disabled concrete finisher said. “When I got fired, all I got was a pink slip.”