Mammoth citizens continue to face government service choices and cuts to accommodate the 23-year annual $2 million payments on the MLLA debt. Many have begun to point at top managers and their pay as likely places to cut instead of half of the police force. Sierra Wave Media did discuss pay figures and now have heard from Mammoth Town Manager Dave Wilbrecht on what he sees as a more fair comparison of total pay among Inyo-Mono administrators.
Wilbrecht said that the $311,000 pay figure we reported for him includes more benefits than we listed for other administrators who also receive them. Wilbrecht said a more comparable comparison of his pay would be the base pay of $199,000 plus $31,374 of PERS retirement and medical benefits, $2340 of dental and vision benefits and other compensation like vacation value and sick leave at $26,023. The total comes to $258,737. This compared with a figure of $311,000 that includes other common management employee benefits not attributed to other administrators in our area in their wage figures.
In a highly charged political atmosphere of severe budget cuts, Town Manager Wilbrecht said he wanted to make sure salaries were presented in a fair comparison. With base salary, retirement and comparable benefits here are Eastern Sierra administrators’ numbers: Mr. Wilbrecht, $258,737. Assistant Town Manager of Mammoth Marianna Marysheva-Martinez at $248,872. Mono County Administrator Jim Arkens at $228,082. Inyo County Administrator Kevin Carunchio at $213,800. Bishop City Administrator Keith Caldwell at $181,708. All of these administrators handle other department jobs in addition to main management.
Dingo- I feel like you sometimes, but I don’t think it’s the guy making 60 grand and a pension destroying our economy . It’s the guys on top making 50 times more, for the same 40 hours ,that is destroying the balance of our economy.
Yep!
Trouble,
Tell that to half the country that believes the wealthiest should be calling the shots for the rest.
Any attempt to even the playing field economically has cleverly been construed as Liberalism and/or communism.
Totally agree, something to be said for unions for the blue collar guys.
I agree Trouble, I should have been more specific.
No freaking wonder the Town of Mammoth is broke, we pay our Town pencil pushers WAY TOO DANG MUCH!
I’m speechless!!
With schools singing the blues about cutbacks of teachers etc., I find it amazing to see how many administrative support staff there are when I walk into my kid’s school office. I think janitors and teachers earn there keep but it sure seems like a lot of excess fluff floating… Read more »
Condo plans at the airport caused all this. Was it the town council or Ballas who came up with those plans? Who would have even stay there? Who is the real problem here? Don’t pay this guy anything, find another way. And the same for Mammoth Lakes Land (money) Acquisition,… Read more »
MJA– you need to study and understand the history of this problem. I personally am tired of your ignorance.
Really? If I’m doing my math right, wilbrechts 8% of his 199,000 is roughly 16,000 dollars. 16,000 dollars. Do you hear that Council? 16,000 extra dollars to a man who didn’t realize he was going to have to pay PERS, threw money at a budget manager/IT manager who was as… Read more »
Leadership by example may be required at this time. If it is allowed by the elected officials. Elected officials often like to pawn off their malfeasance on a stooge who really has no power. The stooge eventually gets fed up and sometimes butts heads with the elected officials. And if… Read more »
Hey Dave how do you sleep at night, Shameful… next time I see you your going to hear it to your face pal.
Skip died last summer. RIP Skip
Before Skip Harvey passed on he hinted quite strongly that his co-councilmen were not operating above board. On another thought, when MMM hit the scene, she immediately put the kibosh on long-time councilman John Eastman’s attempt to give his future son-in-law a cushy position at Rusty Gregory’s airport, demanding a… Read more »
“I am concerned by the mobility section [Measure U was passed to be used on mobility, arts and culture, and recreation] and the notion even being put out there to use up to 50% on airport subsidy,” he said. “I know the committee ixnayed it but that doesn’t mean the… Read more »
Rusty said that the language of Measure U was broad enough to include something like air service. That’s a paraphrase of his statement at the Town Council meeting.
Benett Kessler
…and whatever Rusty says — etc. etc. — it’s like a that old song, “Whatever Lola Wants”
http://youtu.be/-g5YNPzr8NM
In todays LA Times is an article about the city manager of Ventura. Salary is $174,000 for a city of 106, 433. Mammoth has 8,296 people and the base pay of $199,000 for the city manager. Mono County has a per capita income of $29,013. What do you think?
In-groups know all the tricks to willfully and wantonly hide and perpetuate their misconduct. Members decide to control the affairs of a town, get together and chose which members would be good candidates as “town managers”.What makes a good candidate is different from what makes a good In-group member. A… Read more »
Wow! I so went into the wrong career. Maybe if our town adminstrators made the type of money most of us mammoth-ites do, they would really understand budgeting and make better decisions on how to spend our money.
The paycheck is nothing .. It is the HUGE pension and Benefits package they all work for. I bet you the average person would love to retire after 30 years at wok Making 90% of their pay Plus Benefits And you wonder Why the state of Taxifornia has 500 BILLION… Read more »
Disgusting!
Absolutely disgusting!
Where is Skip Harvey (the only honest councilman this town has ever had) now that we need him?
Forget the comparison. Wilbrecht still actually makes $311,000, $52,000 more than his “comparison” compensation. That’s $52,000 in “other common management employee benefits”, or a grand a week. Not bad for a guy who used to run parks and recreation and still spends a heck of a lot time in his… Read more »
Wilbrecht’s “bobandweave/passtheresponsibility” management style is exactly what the town council wants which is why they pay hiim such an outrageous amount. MMM is what he wants so there is always someone in front of him to take the hit, so in his opinion well worth the taxpayers dollars to assure… Read more »
If were going to make cuts they should across the board and even. ALL persons employed by the TOML. INCLUDING managers. This is super unfair and is creating terrible morale. I in fact own and operate a small business. I am the first one to take a pay cut before… Read more »
All this does is prove they’re all paid too damn much. As I said in the other comments, base wage for Carlsbad C A IS 217K, population 108k, base wage in Mammoth 199k for what 8000 people on a good week. Nice try Dave
How many cops are killed each year or seriously injured? What do cops on average get paid? How many city managers are killed or seriously injured each year ( paper cuts don’t count as serious injuries ). What is their average pay? Do city managers blow out their knees or… Read more »
Benett, the contracts for both Managers were approved by the Council and is public record. Please verify these numbers if you haven’t already. Also, please check if either or both took the series of pay and benefit cuts that the other employees did. I heard that they did not.
According to the Assistant Town Manager, “Civilian management has contributed exactly the same as all civilian unionized employees. Last year, it was no cost-of-living adjustment and unpaid furloughs. This year, it is contributing 8% to our retirement.” The Police took a 23% cut in June.
BK
That is not correct. MMM and Wilbrecht’s contract already included their 8% payment into PERS and their salaries were raised specifically to “compensate” for that. Then when the other employees were asked to pay their 8% PERS, the TWO Town Managers said that they were already paying for it, so… Read more »
Yes, a 23% cut in June but an 18% raise (roughly) per their contracts, so isn’t that really a 5% cut??
It’s not just about the salary, but the fact that we’re paying for TWO of them.
They are paid too much considering the financial crisis in Mammoth. Get Real!
” Mr. Wilbrecht, $258,737. Assistant Town Manager of Mammoth Marianna Marysheva-Martinez at $248,872. ” Dont forget about the approx 300k for the police Chief.. And you wonder why Mammoth has a Money problem.. Remind me what the average person in Mammoth makes.. Why do you think they are called “Public… Read more »
Benett, can you verify what the Chief of Police makes as you’ve done for the managers? I don’t believe the $300,000 is accurate as stated above.
The Assistant Town Manager told me the Chief’s pay is $183,000 plus benefits. That would not add up to $300,000.
BK
Did she reduce his pay by $25,000 that was part of the restructuring proposal?( Did she tell you that? ) With no raises in sight, he’ll retire at the same percentage rate of his highest years pay, regardless if he takes a $25,000 pay cut or not. Last figure I… Read more »
The figure is $183,000. I understand the Police Chief’s pay will go down by $50,000 a year – $25,000 this fiscal year. At least that is the proposal.
BK
“Watson, meanwhile, would take a big hit in accepting salary and benefit cuts from his $183,547-a-year base salary and $304,842-a-year total compensation package”.
Quoted from the Mammoth Times 10/01/12