Hoping to cut costs and streamline its budget, the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District has reduced the benefits package for executive managers and new employees.

The district includes Oak Park.

When Larry Peterson was promoted to district general manager six years ago, he eliminated three of the six executive manager positions, including the one he’d previously occupied. The move saved roughly $350,000 a year in salary and benefits, he said. Since then, Peterson has continued to look for opportunities to reevaluate the budget and make the district more efficient.

“Fiscally this agency is doing very good as a result,” he said.

The district’s board of directors recently approved Peterson’s recommendation to modify the salary and benefits for the three executive managers.

The first thing to go was their mileage allowance. The general manager and recreation and leisure services administrator were getting a $50 monthly stipend and the assistant general manager $200 a month. The execs now will have to submit a mileage reimbursement form for actual miles driven outside the district, just like other agency employees. Employees are paid 50 cents per mile.

The second change was to the executives’ 457 plan—a deferredcompensation retirement plan available to certain state and local government employees.

The three executive managers were the only employees who received a payment—in the amount of $446 per month—toward their 457 plan. The contribution for the the recreation administrator and the assistant GM were reclassified as salary and the contribution for the GM was reduced to $300 and put toward health benefits only.

Peterson said he didn’t think it was right for the district to be contributing to the 457 plan—on top of Social Security and the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS)—in light of the public outcry over high civil servant pensions.

The GM said the recent adjustments restrict benefits for future employees and will result in significant savings.

“I’m trying to recommend changes that are going to save this district a lot of money over time and make it more in line with what I think is a reasonable standard . . . making sure that we can recruit competitively for talented individuals,” Peterson said.