The Bell city pay scandal of last year has led to calls for stricter rules regarding transparency on issues of public official salaries and retirement benefits.  When the residents of Bell dismissed their city manager and police chief due to exorbitant salaries and benefits, it set off a debate across California around stricter measures to control givernment executive pay.

Public officials have always felt that as their pay was lower than private employees, it is only natural that they get better and presumably higher retirement benefits. While this may have been true at some point of time, it is no longer so, as both private and public employees are earning similar amounts, while their retirement benefits largely differ. According to a report by the Labor Statistics Bureau, local government workers earn nearly 44% more than their private sector counterparts. It is pertinent to note that these higher remunerations include 66% higher retirement benefits and 34% higher actual salaries, making the low pay argument a complete myth.

Those calling for reform in government management pay feel that taxpayer's are being abused while the state is further being pushed into debt. The enormous burden on the taxpayer can be seen from the fact that where the city manager of Bell was earning nearly $800,000 with retirement benefits to the tune of $1.5 million a year including sick leave and 28 weeks of annual leave. 

Those favoring reform feel that the lack of transparency is the major reason for such abuse and the subsequent problems. The government, after the recent scandal, has sought detailed information regarding salaries being paid to officials, all of which is now public information shared online to constituents.

While some feel that this is a good move and will restore faith in the minds of citizens, others feel that such transparency is yet another layer of bureaucracy to address a somewhat isolated problem. Howevere transparency and limits on the abuse of power is nevertheless a step in the right direction.  It will definitely pave the way for honest and equal benefits for both employees and tax payers.