Bell Council Members Reportedly Paid For Committees that Never Met

According to records obtained by the L.A. Times, council members received only a modest sum for attending City Council meetings, $150 a month, and $60 a month for sitting on the Redevelopment Agency.

What pushed their salaries to $97,000 per year was the $1,574.65 monthly they received for sitting on each of the other five boards. However, those boards met only briefly over the past four years.

According to the L.A. Times, Bell's Surplus Property Authority met once between January 2007 and July 2010, according to city minutes. The Public Finance Authority met only three times during that period. The Housing Authority met four times in 2008. And the Solid Waste and Recycling Authority has not met since January 2005.

The Times' review of city meeting records showed numerous instances when meetings lasted only a few minutes, with no substantial business discussed. On at least three occasions -- June 1, 2009, Feb. 4, 2008, and Jan. 6, 2006 -- the redevelopment agency met for a minute, according to the records.