Planners’ raise could begin a vicious circle

Everyone loves a big, well-deserved raise.

But a 33% boost to Costa Mesa Planning Commissioners pocketbooks

may not be what’s good for the city.

There is no doubt that commissioners are invaluable, but in a year

of cut backs and a hiring freeze at Costa Mesa City Hall and budget

deficits in Sacramento and labor strikes in the private sector, the

City Council’s off-the-cuff generosity seems a bit misplaced.

On Monday the council unanimously agreed with Mayor Gary Monahan’s

suggestion to up commissioners salaries by $100 per month, taking

their pay from $75 per meeting attended, with a cap of $300 a month,

to a flat fee of $400 per month.

Commissioners will now get $400 a month regardless of if they

attend meetings and even if there is only one scheduled, as there

will be this month since the council canceled the Dec. 22 meeting for

the holidays.

Both the council and the Planning Commission took pay cuts in

1992. The council reinstated its previous pay for its own members in

1998. This pay increase brings the commissioners back to the pay they

enjoyed in 1992.

Bumping those up would seem to indicate strong economic times. And

while the economy has recovered from the last couple years of

slowdown the coffers are by no means overflowing. And even though in

the grand scheme of things we’re not talking a lot of money, it’s

just the timing.

What about bumping their pay up to $100 a meeting? That way they

are getting a boost for the service rendered and not just getting a

$4,800 annual salary. That would also raise the cap per month from

$300 to $400 without spending as much extra money.

And where does it stop? Next the Parks and Recreation Commission

is going to wonder where their pay hike is. And what about all the

other commissions in the city that residents volunteer to serve on?

Soon they may ask where their money is.

Sometimes public service should be just that. Planning

commissioners clearly do not perform the thankless task for the pay,

but because they care about what happens in their city. For that, we

are grateful, as are many other residents in this fair city, though

probably not enough of them.

Still, there is a time and place to be handing out more money and

raises. Right now just doesn’t feel right.