Santee Pays More for Water as Padre Dam Executive Salaries Rise

Updated March 28

While Padre Dam Municipal Water District ratepayers have seen annual water rate increases of 5 percent, the district's highest paid employees have received thousands of dollars of salary increases in the last few years, according to a recent publication by U-T San Diego.

The district, which includes Santee, charges what are among the highest rates in the county, and rates continue to raise.

UT San Diego compared current salary data from Padre Dam to state controller’s public employee salary database from 2011 (see attached list of 2011 salaries). They cite 22 employees with annual salaries over $100,000 that have received raises during that period.

Among the officials whose salary increased, Chief Financial Officer Karen Jassoy’s salary increased from $153,000 to $168,000; Director of Operations and Water Quality Frank Kowalski’s salary rose from $152,000 to nearly $164,000; and Carlisle, who was promoted from parks director in 2011, saw his base bay increase from $160,000 to $180,000.

The rate increases are largely due to increased costs from the Metropolitan Water District, the supplier to the San Diego County Water Authority, the agency from which Padre Dam gets much of its water.

Padre Dam officials said that while they did give pay increases to management, they took a number of other measures to reduce the district’s deficit, including layoffs, freezing positions, labor concessions and deferring capital projects.

The article included commentary from Gary Dale Kennedy, a previous candidate for the water board, who said that no private company would stay in business giving salary increases while increasing rates on customers.

In past years employees of Padre Dam have recieved awards for innovations that the California Water Environment Association recognized as saving tens of thousands of dollars of taxpayer money.

Read more about this at UT San Diego

Also read: Santee Teen Center Kept Alive by Padre Dam