New for the phrase "Baby Bell" aka Grand Terrace

All Past and CURRENT RDA / Council Members should pay back funds and have CALPERS REDUCED to reflect the "Legal Payment Amount".

Grand Terrace council may cut council stipend

10:00 PM PDT on Monday, August 23, 2010

The Grand Terrace City Council will be asked Tuesday to cut council members' stipends for serving as directors of the city-wide Redevelopment Agency.

In a report to the council, City Manager Betsy Adams noted that the $150-a-month each council member receives for redevelopment duties was set in the 1978-79 fiscal year and has not been changed since. State law only allows council members to receive $30 a meeting, or a maximum of $120 a month.

The council meets at 6 p.m. in its chambers at 22795 Barton Road in Loma Linda.

--Darrell R. Santschi

dsantschi@PE.com

Grand Terrace council cuts stipend

Members offer to repay excess

Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer

Posted: 08/25/2010 04:12:10 PM PDT

GRAND TERRACE - Pushing to distance themselves from recent scandals involving lavishly paid officials in other cities, members of the City Council recoiled when they discovered their stipends were higher than California law permits.

"Speaking for me - no one else - I don't want to be classified as a council member of Bell," Councilwoman Bea Cortes said at Tuesday's council meeting. "I do not believe anything was intentional, but ... speaking for myself, I intend to repay the thousands I've received" in excess of the state allowance since she was first elected in 2002.

Council members also serve as the Redevelopment Agency board, a duty that since 1978 pays $150 per month in addition to their $250 monthly stipend as council members.

The California Health and Safety Code caps redevelopment agency stipends at $30 per meeting, for a maximum of four meetings per month.

City staff discovered the discrepancy in June as they investigated Mayor Maryetta Ferre's suggestion for a 10percent salary reduction.

The members of the Redevelopment Agency board meet about 30 times per year, meaning the pay for this aspect of their position should come to $900 annually, not the $1,800 they receive each year.

"It's tragic that those people that were hired to take care of this city, to take care of the elected officials, dropped the ball," said Councilman Walt Stanckiewitz.

He and Ferre said they would repay the money if directed to by the city attorney. Mayor Pro Tem Lee Ann Garcia did not attend the meeting or return calls.

Tuesday, all three members of the council who were present voted to lower the agency pay and increase council monthly pay to $300. Combined, that is a 10 percent drop.

Read more: http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_15893002#ixzz0xhJ0XqSE

OH my lets add that up. 300.00 per month "Council Pay", 120.00 RDA Pay, Who knows how much for Insurance Coverage, Travel Perks, Memberships, and Auto Use Reimbursement. Now lets say they work 2 hours per week, that would be 8 hours a month. You do the math... but I get they are being paid over 50.00 per hour plus benefits. They should earn the money and ask for better details and information on the issues brought to them.

Don't think for a minute that Tom Schwab and Steve Berry nor the City Attorney were ignorant about the overpayment of the stipend. This will affect CALPERS as well as the refund of funds directly paid to the Council Members. It is not beyond ones imagination that this overpayment plan could have been used to manipulate or control the votes on the city council. Just as the coercion tried against Mr. Miller.

Thank you Betsy Adams for brining this abuse to the light of day.

It does not excuse the City Attorney or Tom Schwab or Steve Berry the "Professionals from their "Staff Recommendations" to raise the payments to RDA/Council Members.