February 5, 2020 - We need broad public discussion, based on hard facts, about appropriate compensation for Mariposa County’s Board of Supervisors. We also need to discuss the standards that supervisors will be held to.

In 2018, the average annual pay for all full- and part-time wage and salary jobs in Mariposa County was $41,701. The average pay for local government workers – the people supervised by the board - was $79,919. The pay for state and federal workers was higher. These figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, using the federal government’s income and tax records. This is the most accurate wage and salary information that is available.

Mariposa County department directors, deputy directors, and most senior and professional staff are paid over $80,000 a year. Their positions come with job descriptions, performance standards and codes of conduct, which are needed for the Board of Supervisors as well.

These earnings amounts are for full- and part-time wage and salary jobs located in Mariposa County, that is, jobs with employers who pay payroll taxes such as Social Security.

The Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) provides different, and lower, earnings data for Mariposa. ACS data is different in three ways. First, it is based on people living in Mariposa and includes people who work in other counties. Second, it includes people who are not wage and salary workers, for example, people who are paid in cash. Third, it is based on people’s recollection of what they were paid in the past year. Because of these limitations, earnings data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis provide the most reliable benchmark for determining the appropriate salary for supervisors.

The salaries of county supervisors should be equitable compared to people who work in the county as well as the salaries of county workers who they supervise. This is important for encouraging residents with strong leadership and management abilities to seek the job of supervisor. Equitable compensation for supervisors should be accompanied by clearly defined expectations for how they will properly discharge their responsibilities for enacting ordinances, setting budgets and overseeing county operations.

Daniel Flaming