A few weeks ago I got a cranky comment from “Susan” regarding the sales tax measure Butte County Supervisors are considering putting on the ballot in November. I’d expected it – just a few months ago, media shills were using the same old “county cutting library hours” bullshit to drum up support for a possible county parcel tax. I knew they’d switch to a sales tax – a general sales tax only needs 50%+1 to pass. Can you smell the chicken shit?
This past weekend, the news outlets picked up the story – again, showing pictures of Butte County library.
The library isn’t the problem – why don’t the news shills ask the real questions? How much is Butte County’s pension deficit? When did they pass that illegal pension bond? Bill Connelly told me it was back in the early 2000’s, and it was passed without voter approval, which is illegal. How has that worked out? Apparently it was implemented in 2004, but the county pension deficit continues to grow in leaps and bounds. Look how much the county is laying out both in regular and “catch-up” payments from their illegal pension obligation bond.
According to this report
Cal PERS is short about $465 BILLION. How much of that is Butte County’s unfunded liability? As you can see on page 78 of the report, despite the pension obligation bond and the millions Butte County has paid into the deficit year after year, the county’s liability has grown over $30 million since 2018.
Here’s a question your news reporters should be asking – how much are we paying these people to run our apple cart off the road?
Andy “Maximo” Picket, County Chief Admin Officer – as of 2022, he was making a “regular” salary of $242,255.00. Add “extra pay” for a salary of over $257,000/year. Add the benefits package of $67,751.00 for a grand total of $324,543.00.
The board of supes can raise their salaries on a vote, giving themselves about $1,000 raise every year. In 2020, they lowered their salaries about $2,000, but as of 2022 the salary was back to about $62,000/year, same as 2021, and growing again. You would probably be more surprised at the generous benefits packages that they are allowed to choose for themselves. Like City Council members, they pay a small percentage of their salary toward their benefits packages, which currently range from about $18,000/year to about $33,000/year per member. They also get “other pay” – you can ask them about that, I won’t speculate. Connelly somehow wrangled his total salary to over $75,000, add his benefits package for total compensation of over $95,000. Teeter managed to get himself over $100,000.
Which means, given the few thousand dollars a year they pay toward their benefits, they each have personal pension deficits that are part of the county’s total unfunded liability.
Holy shit, no wonder they can’t keep the library open.
Chico Taxpayers Association 
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