Council OKd contract unseen

The Newport Beach City Council approved the interim police chief’s contract with the city last week without ever having seen it, city officials said Monday.

In what officials are considering an error in language on the agenda, the council was mistakenly asked to approve interim Police Chief Robert Luman’s six-month employment agreement with Newport Beach through June 30.

City Manager Dave Kiff said the agenda item was meant to inform the council of the new agreement, which gives Luman a $10,000 raise, making his base pay $120,000 for six months.

The council had to approve the city asking CalPERS, which handles the Police Department’s pension, for a waiver giving Luman an extended stay working for the city.

Instead, the council also unanimously approved Luman’s contract even though they hadn’t seen it. Councilwoman Leslie Daigle said she asked to see Luman’s contract before the meeting last week. As of Monday, she still hadn’t seen it.

“These are issues of transparency and accountability that go beyond the police chief. Have other managers been getting salary increases?” Daigle asked. “Taxpayers are tired of government administrators negotiating pay increases among themselves.”

Luman took over in July with a six-month salary of $110,000. He replaced John Klein after it was revealed that Klein was recruited improperly to the position.

Luman is steering the department through a city-funded investigation into how promotions are conducted, with changes sure to follow.

By the end of June, the city would have paid Luman $230,000. That would complement the $157,000 annual pension he receives from the state, according to data from Californiapensionreform.com, a website that lists large state pensions.

Daigle said she was also concerned with how Luman’s raise would go over with police union leaders during contract negotiations if the city asked for sacrifices.

Union officials declined to comment.

“I think this is small potatoes. I just took it as a means of we want to keep him on, he’s valuable,” said Councilwoman Nancy Gardner. “He’s been doing such a great job, the city manager felt that was something we needed to do.”

Mayor Ed Selich said the $10,000 was a negotiated agreement between Luman, who actually sought more money, and the city.

City Atty. David Hunt said Luman’s raise wasn’t only merit based, but an issue of parity between the chief and the lower ranks. Because officers get specialty pay — monetary bonuses for special training or experience — there was a danger that Luman would be on almost the same pay scale as the officers.

“I think it’s totally appropriate, and frankly, the 10 grand is not anything compared to the overall issues involved,” Hunt said.

A final draft of Luman’s contract is expected to be completed by the end of this week, Kiff said.