Mayor: Raise pay or reduce services

The effort to stay competitive with police compensation has left Newport Beach leading the pack, despite unfunded pension costs for public safety employees that in 2005 totaled $51 million.

The City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a new three-year, $3.7-million contract that makes Newport police officers Orange County’s highest paid in salary and benefits. It gives police officers annual raises totaling 11% and management raises equal to 10.25% through 2009.

Mayor Steve Rosansky said Wednesday the raises are necessary for the city to compete with other law enforcement agencies.

“The reality of it is we need to be competitive in the marketplace — either that or we’re going to have to cut back on services,” he said.

A November survey by Newport Beach staffers, which compared total compensation for police officers at the top step of their salary scale, showed Huntington Beach as No. 1 at $9,803 a month.

Before the contract approved Tuesday, Newport was in second place with salaries at $9,620 a month, followed by Irvine at $9,490 and Costa Mesa at $9,279.

The lowest-paid law enforcement agencies in the county, according to Newport’s survey, were county sheriff’s deputies, with total compensation of $7,891 a month, and La Habra police officers at $7,824 a month.

Newport police may not remain the best compensated in the county as the contract continues and other cities renegotiate salaries and benefits, but they’re satisfied.

“We’re very happy with the contract,” Newport Beach Police spokesman Evan Sailor said. “We do believe it makes us extremely competitive with all the other agencies.”

Rosansky said the city is working to address the unfunded pension liability. The public safety pension fund also covers firefighters and lifeguards. “We have a program in place where annually we’re chipping away at that,” he said. “Eventually our unfunded pension liability will be completely funded.”

MONTHLY SALARIES

A new contract with the city makes Newport Beach police officers the highest paid in Orange County in terms of salary and benefits. Below is a comparison with some neighboring cities. The figures show the range of monthly salaries, not including benefits, for police officers and management positions.

OFFICER

CITY

MONTHLY SALARY

Laguna Beach

$4,393 to $6,179

Costa Mesa

$5,565 to $6,764

Newport Beach

$4,667 to $6,565

Huntington Beach

$5,108 to $6,327

SERGEANT

CITY

MONTHLY SALARY

Laguna Beach

$5,640 to $7,935

Costa Mesa

$6,985 to $8,489

Newport Beach

$6,352 to $8,941

Huntington Beach

$6,555 to $8,119

LIEUTENANT

CITY

MONTHLY SALARY

Laguna Beach

$6,238 to $9,353

Costa Mesa

$8,329 to $10,123

Newport Beach

$7,468 to $10,507

Huntington Beach

$8,493 to $10,521

CAPTAIN

CITY

MONTHLY SALARY

Laguna Beach

$6,617 to $10,189

Costa Mesa

$9,468 to $11,509

Newport Beach

$8,771 to $12,344

Huntington Beach

$9,767 to $12,100