OC Register: Orange County Special District Salaries, OC Cemetery Highest

OC has highest-paid public cemetery exec in state

April 27th, 2011, 3:00 am ·  posted by Teri Sforza, Register staff writer

The Orange County Register

The good state of California has 249 public cemetery districts – selling plots, burying the dead, keeping historic graveyards lovely – and the man who runs Orange County’s cemetery district is the most well-compensated in the state, according to data released by the state controller Tuesday.
Orange County Cemetery District General Manager Tim Deutsch’s pay, subject to Medicare taxes by Uncle Sam, was  $121,286 in 2009, landing him at the top of the heap. Here are the Top 10, according to Controller John Chiang:

1. Orange County Cemetery District – Medicare total wages $121,286
2. Elk Grove-Cosumnes Cemetery District – $95,924
3. Saratoga Cemetery District – $92,471
4. Suisun-Fairfield-Rockville Cemetery District – $85,214
5. Newcastle-Rocklin-Gold Hill Cemetery District – $83,935
6. Alamo-Lafayette Cemetery District – $83,783
7. Goleta Cemetery District – $83,648
8. Palm Springs Cemetery District – $80,465
9. Roseville Cemetery District – $80,395
10. Sylvan Cemetery District – $80,304

The controller began rounding up numbers for cities, counties and special districts after the Bell fiasco (congrats on the Pulitzer, LAT!), but his numbers aren’t perfect (i.e., they don’t include everything that we like to include when calculating total compensation).

Throw in what the district kicks in for Deutsch’s health benefits and pension plan, and that figure reaches $139,857; throw in his auto allowance, life insurance and the other trappings of public executive life, and that figure reaches $173,377 in total comp, as we reported to you at Halloween in “A job to die for.“

Deutch points out that Orange County’s cemetery district is one of California’s largest, if not the largest, cemetery district, based on budget, number of interments and lot sales, number of employees (27) and number of cemeteries (3). Most every other district manages only one cemetery.

In 2004-05, the Orange County Grand Jury delved into the machinations of the cemetery district and concluded that  it was generally well-run, though it didn’t dig much into compensation issues. “The jury found the Orange County cemeteries are operating well within their mission statement,” the report said. “The jury’s overall assessment of the district is that the public is being well served. The grand jury was pleased to observe that the district’s employees strive to ensure the cemeteries are well maintained and are an environment of respect to the memories of those interred.”

What, exactly, is the Orange County Cemetery District?

“The Orange County Cemetery District is an independent special district governed by an appointed Board of Trustees who serve four-year terms,” the district’s web site says. “The three cemeteries owned and operated by the district are among the county’s oldest and most established, with each having recorded burials before 1900.

“Although privately owned in the beginning, the cemeteries were formed into separate independent districts in 1926. In 1985 the districts were consolidated under one governing board to create the Orange County Cemetery District.

“Our boundaries encompass the entire county of Orange and include cemetery locations in Anaheim, Lake Forest and Santa Ana.

“Orange County residents may purchase burial rights from an authorized representative of the District at the business office located on the cemetery grounds. In the past year, over 900 spaces were sold and more than 900 burial services performed.”

Its mission: “To manage and maintain Orange County’s public cemeteries in a manner that preserves their beauty, dignity, historical and cultural values, and offers affordable interment services for county residents.”
The trustees are appointed by the Board of Supervisors. They earn $100 per meeting (maximum of four meetings per month) and get no benefits.