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Atherton: Decision on management salaries delayed

by Renee Batti

The Atherton City Council has delayed a decision to adjust salaries for middle management staff under a proposal that would have fixed the salaries at the 70th percentile in relation to other specified towns and cities in the area.

The item was pulled from the June 16 council agenda, and the matter will return to the employee bargaining unit, said Mayor Kathy McKeithen. She said the council decided to pull the item from the agenda during a closed session meeting before the regular meeting.

Ms. McKeithen said she couldn't discuss why the council delayed action on the proposal because labor negotiations are confidential.

The adjustments were scheduled to go into effect in the next fiscal year, which begins July 1. Employees affected by the proposed adjustment include the police chief, the assistant city manager, the public works director, the planning administrator and the building official.

The proposed agreement would have guaranteed salary adjustments through 2012-13.

The cities and towns used to formulate the range of salaries to determine the 70 percentile target are: Menlo Park, Hillsborough, Millbrae, San Carlos, Los Gatos, Belmont, Brisbane, San Bruno, Los Altos, Woodside, and Saratoga.

The staff report did not include the fiscal impact of the proposed salary adjustments because the town won't be able to determine the specific salaries for several months, after other cities in the comparison group determine their managers' salaries, according to Ms. McKeithen.