TOTAL COMPENSATION

Library Administrator's Digest, May 2004 by Robinson, Charles W

A number of years ago LAD inquired of ALA what the total compensation of the executive director was. The reply I received was her salary. I inquired again. No reply. Eventually, when I asked for the annual report that nonprofits have to file with the 1RS, which gives that information, and is public, I found out that the salary was about half of the total compensation, not counting bonuses, housing allowance, and the like, which about doubled the money spent on salary. That doesn't happen any more at ALA, I understand. It's salary and that's all. But I haven't checked recently.

The Baltimore Sun had an interesting news article on April 16, 2004, of which I quote excerpts:

"The state's highest court ordered the University of Maryland yesterday to release the pay packages for two high-profile coaches - a ruling that is likely to lay bare the contract of any public employee.

"Though the ruling dealt with the contracts of the coaches, legal experts said last night that it appeared to apply to all state and local officials, some of whom have until now had to disclose only their salaries.

"(A lawyer) said last night that the ruling will clarify a gray area in the state's public information law. 'There's been an ongoing dispute across the state and all levels of government about whether an employment contract is subject to disclosure. This would be a substantial benefit to the public. ' "

Looking over PLA's Statistical Report which conies out annually and reports directors' salaries, there are several, notably New York, Brooklyn and Queens, but including a number of other libraries as well, which do not report their director's salary. I've often wondered whether they would disclose this information to a local newspaper reporter.

But, hey, it's pretty obvious that, especially in the case of administrators, salaries are very often not the total compensation. They don't report car allowances (which the 1RS counts as taxable), bonuses or other perks, some of which are ingenious. But in many cases directors now insist on a contract (if only to protect them from political termination without compensation), and these contracts are very rarely, if ever, revealed to anyone, staff or public. I assume that's because revealing the terms would embarrass the board of trustees, and/or the director, or become a local political football, because of some local crazy regulation about compensation of public employees. Like the Minnesota state law that nobody gets more than the governor, or as much, or something like that.

I wonder how many states have laws or court decisions requiring total openness about total compensation?

I guess I'm just envious about the new way of doing things. I only got a salary, and any time I got a raise it was recorded in the public board minutes, as required by law. No, I forgot my library car and free parking space. Nothing else that the rest of the staff didn't get.

That's the way it is with many library directors, but certainly not all. But I doubt that any library director does as well as the big-time basketball and football coaches.

Charles W. Robinson

Director Emeritus, BCPL

Editor

geezer@bcpl.net