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McKinney leaves Atascadero with $135,000 in back pay

June 28, 2013
Wade McKinney

Wade McKinney

The city of Atascadero owes departing City Manager Wade McKinney $135,210 in vacation and sick time pay. [Tribune]

In 2011, CalCoastNews reported that McKinney had been violating city personnel he was responsible for enforcing. The rules limited the amount of vacation time city employees could accumulate.

Under the watch of McKinney and city department heads, Atascadero employees had been accumulating up to two times their yearly vacation time under the watch of McKinney and the city department heads.

Later in 2011, the San Luis Obispo County Grand Jury issued a report later on the practice of vacation accrual within the different cities in the county. The Grand Jury report revealed that, at the time, Atascadero had a $887,320 unfunded vacation accrual liability.

In McKinney’s final paycheck next week, the city will pay him $91,951 for 1,180 hours of vacation time. McKinney will also receive $43,259 for about 555 hours of sick time.

The payout to McKinney will come from Atascadero’s general fund.

McKinney is leaving Atascadero Friday to become city manager of Indian Wells. Atascadero Administrative Services Director Rachelle Rickard will replace McKinney as the full time city manager.

 


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Yet another Bang Bang buy out. Look out Indian Wells…you’re next!


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Wade McKinney is being handsomely rewarded for doing the bidding of the good ole boys and gals who run Atascadero behind the scenes. He was a total sell out. I am hoping the Gearhart trial opens McKinney up to charges of complicity in stealing $100M from A-town citizens. This man is corrupt to the bone and this going away present is a perfect example.


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He was violating City Personnel? Pics, or it didn’t happen…


In 2011, CalCoastNews reported that McKinney had been violating city personnel he was responsible for enforcing.


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If all these politicos make me sick, can I get sick pay as well?


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Believe me, I’m no fan of the government or it’s employees but this is really the fault of the voters who have allowed this system to be put into place. Nobody really cared when the economy was booming but now that we’re circling the drain, it’s a whole different story.


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I’m a state employee and I don’t get sick pay if I leave, only accrued vacation and time off. Why does he?


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I agree completely….

IMHO, there is a change in this type of milking the public coming. These unfunded perks will simply dry up for all in coming employees. Those who have retired at the top with 90% of their salary and these outrageous bennies are a thing of the past…


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Not really a thing of the past as long as the taxpayers are having to pay these leaches


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They need to make public office more like the private sector. When you quit you don’t get unused sick time. As for Vac. they need to cap (like a lot do around 280 hours on book) and use it or loose it, when you are still working and when you quit you can collect everything up to the 280.


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Pursuant to the personnel rules the City did have such a cap, but McKinney simply violated the rule and allowed the exec staff to do so as well.


The problem with the unfunded liability was identified many years ago but it was swept under the carpet.


I became aware of the problem when I examined certain employee settlements related to employees who separated from the city. When it became obvious that a fiscal impropriety was occurring, I spoke to the issues in an attempt to get the City Council to resolve the problem.


Tom O’Malley was particularly upset that I was rocking the boat. The rest of the Council and the City Attorney simply sat on their hands thus delaying necessary action.


I then took my complaint to the Grand Jury who spanked Atascadero’s government for their blatant violation of the rules. The Grand Jury report was entitled “Pay Me Now or Pay Me Later” which I found to be quite apropos.


The bottom line is that McKinney, the City Attorney and the City Council failed miserably in their fiduciary responsibility to the public and we the taxpayers are left holding the bag.


Recently Councilmember Heather Moreno authored an opinion piece wherein she wrote; “America’s political environment makes it difficult for citizens to have confidence in those responsible for governing, particularly in the area of money”


She then goes on to applaud Atascadero government for its responsible financial stewardship.


Moreno got the first sentence right,but her assessment about responsible stewardship is nothing more than BALONEY.


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Mike it is because of you, that the ball got rolling on all of Atascadero’s shenanigans. While hard because you are and where the only one speaking out, I do think that with time things are SLOWLY changing. Thank you for being on the ball and doing what a council person should and that is watching out for your constituents and not yourself. .


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I agree with you completely, although for the record it was Fonzi and Kelly who sat on the Finance Committee that directed the City Attorney to look into the issue after you brought it to the attention of these new Council members. Former Assistant City Manager Jim Lewis was directed to review the process and made the recommendations that have been put into place. I too believe that this was completely contrived by McKinney as evidence by his going away gift from the City of Atascadero. Interesting on how quickly the personnel rules were put back into affect as soon as the heat was turned up.

It should also be noted that one of the first things that O’Malley did after being elected as Mayor was to remove Fonzi and Kelly from the Finance Committee. One should question O’Malley on the actions that he has taken in the past as he was with McKinney all of the way.


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