SBJ.net Poll

Do you think City Utilities executives are paid too much?

For poll results, click here.

What Readers Think

Yes

I have suspected for years that City Utilities management was determining their own compensation package and the board either had very little info as to what was going on or did not go to the trouble of doing their own research and just rubber-stamped management’s recommendations. I think your survey of other utilities clearly indicates that they are grossly overpaid. It is embarrassing to see that other city employees are paid much less than their counterparts at CU. This just underlines the basic problem with CU. They have their own little domain with altogether too much control of the money that they can so easily generate.

—Darrell Proctor, D-4 Investments

No

Having been involved in the last compensation review while on the City Utilities board, I found that we pay competitive salaries (not too much but not below market, either). We do pay less than the investor-owned utilities pay for executives and professional staff and always have the risk of losing people to those IOUs that can and do pay more.

These are professionals who have specialized skills and knowledge and they are scarce commodities. To me, I would rather pay a good compensation to have a smart professional than pay low wages and have dumb staff. As my daddy said, “You get what you pay for … if you are lucky.”

—Geoffrey H. Butler, Butler, Rosenbury & Partners Inc.

These salaries must be reasonable compared to qualified executive salaries in the utility industry – and they are.

While they might make more in financial compensation than I do, there are many salaries “in the public trust” that are adjusted to the specific job in the specific industry, including health care, higher education and city government. These high salaries are earned and deserved; they also are needed to attract the best and the brightest in a very competitive labor market.

We are fortunate to have the people in the Springfield area that we do in these specific executive positions. … It is unfortunate there are voices wanting to throw stones at these hard-working, fair-minded public servants as a result of an audit – the purpose of which is to improve, not to create complaint.

—Jackie Barger, Make-A-Wish Foundation

Let’s see. CU has five major lines of business: electricity, natural gas, water, the bus and a telecommunications business. The comparisons only have one or two. Looks like apples and oranges to me.

I have a great idea: Break CU into five major companies. Cut each CU executive to the median compensation. Hire six new execs for each of the other four companies. Pay each of those execs the average based on Springfield Business Journal’s Jan. 17 comparison.

Then, everyone can be happy because CU execs are not overpaid. Totally ignoring, of course, that total paid compensation is now over four times what the current execs are being paid. Happy?

Note: Not a CU customer.

—Scott George, Mid-America Hearing Center

I don’t see the comparison with the companies you used in this story. I only see apples to oranges. Why in the world would you begrudge a man and his salary?

—Brent Markwell, Cumulus

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