PUD asked to freeze management salaries

To The Eagle:

Have you heard the word from the PUD lately?

This is the time of the year that the annual ritual begins where management starts their lament about being underpaid. It starts out about how the ratepayers cannot afford to lose their PUD managers to other higher paying PUDs or private employers. The request for 10 percent increases were denied by the board the past two years and management had to settle for a mere four percent per year. However, by comparison, local county officials and many state workers have seen their salaries frozen or reduced. This is also true that many of the PUDs have also frozen the salaries for their managers in the state.

The General Manager is compensated at an annual rate of $115,000 and the auditor at $64,000, approximately.

In addition to their having the best benefit plan in the county, along with a very reasonable salary package, I believe the managers should be grateful for the generous compensation package provided by the ratepayers of this county.

Therefore, I sincerely request that the current commissioners freeze the management salaries for the next 12 months.

Larry Reese

Former PUD

commissioner