COUNCIL APPROVES PAY RAISES FOR TOP ADMINISTRATORS; T.O.'S MANAGER, ATTORNEY GET BOOST IN LINE WITH OTHER CITIES.

Byline: Cecilia Chan Staff Writer

Christmas has come early for the city manager and city attorney, who are getting a $6,000-a-year pay hike each.

After a closed session Tuesday night, the City Council voted 4-0, with Linda Parks abstaining, to give a 4.5 percent raise to City Manager MaryJane Lazz and a 5.5 percent hike to City Attorney Mark Sellers.

``It's extremely important that the two senior administrators for the city be compensated at an appropriate level,'' Mayor Dennis Gillette said. ``My intention is to make sure to the extent possible they are appropriately compensated.''

The council recognizes that the city of Thousand Oaks, a $140 million-a-year public enterprise, has the best in senior administrators, Gillette said.

Lazz, who was confirmed as the city's top administrator in January, will now earn $146,304 a year and Sellers, $115,080. Their raises are retroactive to July 1.

Lazz and Sellers each has a compensation package that includes unlimited use of a city car. Lazz's compensation package is worth $14,452 and Sellers' is $10,956.

Sellers, who was hired in 1982, received a pay raise last January of $5,196 a year, retroactive to July 1996.

Lazz's and Seller's new salaries are in line with comparable-size cities.

Based on 13 other cities with similar population size - Thousand Oaks' population is 115,000 - and functions, Lazz's actual salary places her ninth on the list, said Denese Wilson Cox, city Human Resources manager.

Using the same 13 cities, except for three that contract out for city attorney services, Sellers placed last until Tuesday's increase, which moved him up one slot, Cox said.

The cities used in the comparison are Sunnyvale, Escondido, Santa Monica, Burbank, Santa Clara, Concord, Oxnard, Ventura, Orange, Simi Valley, Santa Clarita, Irvine and Fullerton.

When it came time for the council to pass the resolution for both pay hikes, Parks abstained because her request for separate resolutions was rejected by her peers.

Parks said she was in favor of a raise for Lazz, but against raising Sellers' salary. She refused to disclose her reasoning.

Nick Quidwai, who said he represented Concerned Citizens of Thousand Oaks, was the only resident to speak against the pay hike.

He said there should be a 20 percent reduction in salary for the city manager and city attorney and that their cars should be taken away and rotated for use by the city's Employee of the Month.

The city manager and city attorney were the last employees to get a pay increase for the fiscal year, Cox said. Most employees received an across-the-board 4.5 percent pay hike, she said.

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2 Photos

PHOTO (1 -- color) LAZZ

(2 -- color) SELLERS