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Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Darrell Fong rejects City Council salary
by Kathleen Haley, published on December 3, 2010 at 5:21 PM
Storyline: Sacramento City Hall / Politics
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New City Councilman Darrell Fong officially declined his $60,800 salary Wednesday, becoming the first council member to reject a salary since council members began receiving annual salaries in 2003, according to city staff.
Fong sent a Dec. 1 letter to city Human Resources Director Geri Hamby to tell her that he would not accept a salary.
“It is my intention to annually decline the City Council salary and benefits until the local economy improves and we are able to balance the budget without unnecessary cuts to city services or employees,” Fong wrote.
Fong had pledged to reject a salary when he was running for the District 7 council member job. “It wasn’t a gimmick,” he said in an interview on Friday.
While Fong is turning down his City Council salary and several city benefits, he does have other income. Fong is a retired Sacramento police captain who receives a gross monthly retirement benefit of $11,179, according to the press office of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System.
Along with his salary, Fong is rejecting medical, dental and vision benefits associated with the position, that would have ranged between $6,900 to $14,040, said Kimberly Isaacs, the city’s human resources manager for benefits and retirement.
He is also refusing to participate in the city’s 401K plan and retirement benefits that come with the job, she said.
Fong is, however, accepting a few of the benefits. He will receive a life insurance policy at $552 annually and long-term care disability insurance at about $140 per year, Isaacs said.
The councilman will also accept a $1,200 technology allowance and a $4,800 auto allowance, according to Isaacs.
Fong said the Human Resources Department suggested that he accept his life insurance benefit. It will be useful for his wife in case he is “killed on city business,” he said.
Fong said that when the city budget situation improves, he intends to take a salary. “It may be awhile” until that point, he said.
Fong also said he is not inferring that other city council members should give up their salaries, adding that the city council position is the sole source of income for some council members.
Read Fong’s letter here.
Photo of Fong's swearing-in ceremony by Brandon Darnell.
Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.
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Considering our mayor- I imagine who also has outside income - spent $50,000 of City funding on a SUV and spends on police security- it's nice to see the new councilmember Fong step in a different direction looking at the needs of the city/ city employees losing their jobs.... and not looking at himself (the way our mayor often seems to do)
When our mayor should have been looking at the budget he was too occupied being Yogi, looking at his picnic basket (Strong Mayor Proposal) and distracting the council from the budget as he spent so much time, resources....seeking more power. Dang, of all the money spent on gathering / paying folks to gather SMP signatures it would have been nice to see our mayor step into office looking at the emplolyees within Parks & Rec, youth and community centers verses grabbing for more power. WOW, Way to go Fong. He just might be a person who won't/ can't be bought or sold. I am impressed! And he puts Mayor Johnson to shame!
Since he has been on council, I believe that his staff attended NAG once when specifically asked to answer a question or hear an issue presented, and he attended once to give his forgettable state of the district address. He and staff receive the NAG agenda each month but unlike Cohn and staff who regularly attend and Tretheway or staff occasionally attends we never see anyone from Fong's office.