Given water authority’s bloated payroll, huge rate hikes are insulting

Re “Divided council OKs steep San Diego water and sewer rate hikes” (Oct. 28): I cannot believe the San Diego County Water Authority has the gall to say water rates need to go up by so much! The authority is the perfect example of a bloated government bureaucracy. It has multiple layers of management making over $350,000 a year who always manage to get annual raises. The current GM makes over $600,000 per year (including $150,000 in non-salary benefits) and also amazingly got a 16% increase over his previous year’s compensation. How many San Diegans got a 16% increase last year? Outrageous! And it doesn’t stop there — there are over 60 “managers” with compensation over $250,000 per year!

If we really want to blunt the impact of future rate hikes, how about reviewing the salary structure of all these “water tycoons” and start paying them in line with all us other hard-working local taxpayers who make under $100,000 and have to beg to get a 2% increase each year?

— A.L. Battaglia, Vista