PALM DESERT — Palm Desert City Council members today are expected to take action on a recommendation they take a pay cut of more than 50 percent and cap their medical benefits.
The five-member ad hoc Council Compensation Committee, appointed by the City Council in May, is recommending a salary of $22,500 and benefits cap of $7,500 per year per council member.
City Council members are currently paid $48,279 a year, making it the highest-paid council in the valley — and among the highest-paid in California.
Add in health and retirement benefits, and the compensation ranges from $47,585 to $66,146, depending on the number of dependents each member wants covered.
City Manager John Wohlmuth has come up with an alternative recommendation for benefits under which council members’ dependents could continue to be covered for health and dental insurance, as the city does for all its employees.
But council members would no longer be eligible for long-term disability or vision coverage.
Palm Desert had a lot of money coming in and for the most part used it wisely. It needed and could afford a good council. The meek and mild Roy Wilson was one of the most impressive personalities I’ve ever met.
The place has good roads that no longer wash out. It has 2 university extensions and a high school that were not there before. The McCallum has gone downhill with all the casino acts, yet it has hosted some very big names. Reba recorded there. Palm Desert is now the hub of the valley. While I preferred the sleepy little village, I have a hard time begrudging a highly paid council that did their job. Times are tight though, time to revamp.