Kromer's 2010 Salary 12th-Highest Among OC City Managers

Fountain Valley City Manager Ray Kromer's salary of $247,779 ranked 12th among all Orange County city managers in 2010, according to figures updated Jan. 5 by the Sacramento Bee.

City managers earned an average of $200,000 per year in 2010, according to figures from the state controller's office. Former Santa Ana City Manager Dave Ream, who retired in March of last year, topped Orange County's list with a salary of $284,783. Yorba Linda's Steven Rudometkin was the lowest-paid city manager at $139,836.

By comparison, Los Angeles County boasts the city manager with the single-highest salary, Compton's Lamont Ewell, who pulled down $453,806 in 2010. In San Diego County, that distinction went to Paul Malone of San Marcos, who made $337,712.

Among the state's highest-paid city managers in 2010, none was from Orange County, with six from L.A. County, and one, San Marcos' Malone, from San Diego County.

A study last summer by the Orange County Grand Jury produced somewhat different results, with Laguna Hills' Bruce Channing topping the list at $378,427, but that study factored in both base salary and benefits.