Santa Clara County Reins In Executive Compensation

SAN JOSE (KCBS) _ In these tough economic times, Santa Clara County is moving to scale back some perks and benefits for county managers.

The package of benefit changes ranges from higher insurance co-pays and retirement contributions to smaller monthly vehicle allowances.

"On behalf of all the board, when we heard their recommendations, we were really impressed by how far they were willing to go in scaling back some of the benefits," said Santa Clara County Board of Supervisor's President Ken Yeager.

KCBS' Matt Bigler Reports:

The board also voted to cap the number of unused vacation days, which would require the county to pay managers for any days they go over the new maximum, which would cost the county $5 million.

Brian O'Neill with the Santa Clara County Employees' Union objected to that one-time buyout.

"We're saying there's got to be a better way instead of spending $5 million right now that we don't have so that you can cash out vacation time for these executives," O'Neill said.

County Supervisor Liz Kniss said the cuts will save the county a million dollars every year.

In the end, the supervisors voted to spread the vacation pay out over three years to soften the blow. If approved next week, the changes will take effect next July.

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