Letter to the Editor: After 5 years of spending PG&E settlement money on salaries and benefits, the board of Stupes is threatening to close fire stations? What?

Every year at budget time the Butte County board of stupes threatens to cut library funding. That is a discussion that needs to be had. But, even after two major catastrophic fires that have affected local communities, Butte County supervisors has the nerve to put fire stations on the chopping block.

What the hell do they think we have counties for? Why do we pay property taxes if not to protect our property? I doubt I’m the only one here who believes fire protection is a service we should be able to expect from the county. I’d call that a “no-brainer”, wouldn’t you?

The county collected millions in PG&E settlement money after the fire – how much did you get? The only money we got was from our insurance company. We rebuilt our Paradise rental, adding more than $100,000 to the taxable value because of upgrades forced by the town and county. But as of today, and I’ve checked, the street in front of our rebuild is still crumbling, there are still dead trees standing in the old neighborhood, and the grocery store and the hospital have skipped town.

What nerve Bill Connelly, Todd Kimmelshue, Tami Ritter, Peter Durfee and especially Doug Teeter have, to tell people who watched their entire town burn to the ground that they will close fire stations if they don’t get more money. Especially after all that settlement money, and who knows how much COVID relief funding, have been twittered down the shitter.

So you know me, I wrote a letter about it!

In 2021, Butte County supervisors approved the use of more than $252 million in PG&E settlement money, received on behalf of Camp Fire survivors, for the creation of over a dozen new staff positions, with salaries over $100,000/year. At the time the county was already carrying more than $44 million in pension liability because of overgenerous salaries and unrealistic employee contributions.

The supes also approved the use of settlement money toward paying down their pension deficit.

Since then they have done nothing to rein in the deficit, giving raises without requiring more realistic contributions from employees. Looking at the county payroll, you see over a dozen management employees with salaries in excess of $200,000/year, including thousands of dollars in overtime, “other pay”, and generous benefits packages, raising their total compensation to over $300,000/year.

The supervisors themselves contribute to the deficit, approving their own annual salary increases – as of 2022, $62,827/year, plus “other pay,” pension and benefits. According to the State Controller, in 2022, the taxpayers contributed $114,749 toward board members’ “total retirement and health contribution”. For one year.

Now they tell us they can’t afford to keep firehouses open? What kind of mismanagement is that? We don’t ask much of these people, if they can’t keep fire houses open they need to step down.

Tell your supe they need to find the money in the budget. They can start by asking employees – including themselves – to accept more rational salaries and pay more reasonable pension shares. This isn’t the Gravy Train.