San Luis Obispo County Counsel seeks four-year contract, nearly $2 million

September 6, 2024

By KAREN VELIE

The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors is slated on Tuesday to approve a new four-year contract with County Counsel Rita Neal at a cost of nearly $2 million, according to the consent agenda.

If approved by the board, Neal’s new contact will run from Sept. 30, 2024 through Sept. 29, 2028. The staff report, however, lists the ending date as Sept. 29, 2029, which would be a five year extension.

As head of the County Counsel’s Office, Neal oversees a staff equivalent to 20.5 full-time employees. The office provides legal advice to the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors and 26 county departments.

First appointed county counsel in 2012, in 2013 Neal received $258,541 in salary and benefits, a number that nearly doubled in 10 years amid large pay increases.

In 2020, the SLO County Board of Supervisors voted to give Neal a 20% pay hike that provided her a compensation package of $374,579 a year. Then in 2022, the board gave Neal a 15.56% increase in pay. Neal is currently receiving $479,006 in salary and benefits.

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