We were just talking about Oroville’s financial problems – here’s their action plan:
As you know, Chico City Council just approved sweet new raises for city management, more than enough to cover their slightly increased PERS shares. With over $180 million in unfunded pension liabilities, the city’s mandated extra “side fund” payments are now over $500,000 a year and expected to increase to $1.5 million within the next couple of years. And come on – at that rate, we’ll never get rid of the pension bomb.
Did you know our city council get salaries? Last I heard, their salaries are roughly the same as reported for O-ville, although, I think, a little more. In the article, it says Oroville councilors can also opt for a health benefits package – in Chico, those packages have cost anywhere between $8,000/year and $21,000/year. When I last checked, Ann Schwab and Mark Sorensen were taking the most expensive packages available. Here’s the scam – they pay 2 percent of their council salaries – less than $1,000 a year, do the math – for these packages.
What kind of package do you have? How much do you pay for it?
In Hemet, which was left in ashes by Brian Nakamura, Mark Orme, and Chris Constantin, the local Taxpayers Association put an ordinance on the 2010 ballot that ended health benefits for city council members. The voters passed it with over 75% of the vote. It cost the HTA about $7,000 to float two ordinances – the second, term limits for city councilors, also flew through with about 75% of the vote.
The city shall not pay for, fund, or otherwise contribute to, the premiums, charges, fees or other costs of health benefits made available by the city to elected city officials either during their term or after their term of office.
Just something to think about, as the city of Chico plunges further into debt and continues to cut services, cut services, cut services…
Chico Taxpayers Association 
Most people in Chico are clueless. They get more excited about a billboard they don’t like, than the way our city is being raped by management.
Thanks Jim l wish we could harness the passion people have demonstrated for saving the El Rey or the Esplanade or the water towers. I guess we need to show them the relationship between management over compensation and the general degradation of what they believe to be Chico.