Gov. Herbert questions UTA manager Inglish's salary

SALT LAKE CITY — The $348,929 salary paid to the head of the Utah Transit Authority may be too high and needs to be re-examined, Gov. Gary Herbert said Thursday.

"This has kind of been a shock," Herbert said, calling on the UTA trustees to take "a fresh look" at UTA General Manager John Inglish's annual pay. Herbert also said it may be time for the state to have a discussion about the way in which UTA is organized.

"We need to have the board members say, 'He's making this much money, and this why it's good for you taxpayers that we pay this kind of salary, because these are the benefits you're getting.' If they can't justify that, if they can't defend it, it's probably too high a salary."

Herbert told reporters gathered at the Capitol after a power outage forced the cancellation of his monthly news conference on KUED Channel 7 that Inglish "is a very capable guy who's done some wonderful things," but that his salary ought to be comparable with other transit officials nationwide.

In 2009, Inglish's base salary was $296,339. He received a $42,840 bonus, based on performance for the previous year. His transportation allowance was $9,750.

Inglish earned more last year than public transportation executives in a number of major cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver and Phoenix, according to recent media reports.

Larry Ellertson, chairman of the UTA Board of Trustees, said that when trustees negotiate with Inglish over salary, they don't just look at public transportation salaries. They also look at salaries of transportation executives in private industry.

"We have utilized surveys and information from the industry to help us determine those salaries," Ellertson said Thursday afternoon at a high-speed rail conference. Ellertson had not seen the governor's remarks.

"I certainly want to look and see just what his comment was and take an opportunity to have some open discussion with him," he said. "I'm not refuting what he said. I'm sure we'll look at his concerns and address them (with the governor)."

Ellertson defended Inglish's salary again Thursday. "We view our personnel being top-notch, and I think you've seen that being reinforced by APTA," he said, referring to a trade organization, the American Public Transit Association. APTA President Bill Millar praised UTA for building projects ahead of schedule and under budget at the Thursday conference.