Eyewitness News investigates the cost of pay raises for the top positions in Fresno County. The Board of Supervisors approved raises to several hundred employees Tuesday, including managers and department heads.
Passionate county employees spoke out at the meeting, saying pay raises for to positions isn't right.
"I stand here today, and I ask, how can you consider giving the CAO a raise, that is more than my yearly salary?" said county employee Marie Cortez.
The raises range in dollar amounts, but at the top is County Administrative Officer John Navarrette.
He'll receive an additional $35,000 for a total annual salary of $213,000. Supervisor Henry Perea, who voted against the measure, says the timing is poor.
"I think what we did today, is we spiked people's pay," Perea said. "So that when they retire a year from now, they're going to be reaping another $35-40,000 a year on top of the benefits they're already getting."
An extra $35,000 over 20 years of retirement equals $700,000.
Those in favor of the raises say top employees are leaving Fresno County for better pay in other counties.
Supervisor Judy Case McNairy, who sits on the retirement board, says when that happens Fresno County is still on the hook for pensions.
"We still pay the retirement cost when an employee finds a job that pays better than Fresno County," McNairy said. "The difference is that if they stayed in Fresno County we'd have the cost of that payroll, but they'd be contributing to that cost of a higher level retirement."
Each employee's pension is a complicated calculation based on how long they've worked and their top wage, so the exact impact of Tuesday's raises won't be known for some time.
Those pay raises total about $2 million and they go into effect next week.