HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil Salary-Discussion Paper
TOPIC DISCUSSION PAPER: City Council Salaries
ISSUE STATEMENT: Should the charter address salary issues for city council
members?
EXISTING CHARTER LANGUAGE: Article 3, Section 3 of the city charter requires
that changes to the level of compensation received by elective officers (except for
Recorder and Judge) be submitted to a vote of the people. Right now, each city council
member receives $350 per year and the Mayor receives $500; these pay levels have been
unchanged since at least 1976. However, elected officials also receive full medical,
vision and dental benefits and a small life insurance policy that covers themselves and
dependents.
Budget implications
: It is likely that the charter election requirement
discourages the council from proposing pay raises for its members, thus
minimizing budget impacts.
Accountability
: City voters are required to approve all changes in council pay.
Community/Council impacts
: Proponents argue that the existing system
restrains the council from enacting costly and/or inappropriate pay increases.
Conversely, critics claim: 1) that salary issues are best delegated via ordinance;
and/or, 2) that council members deserve to be paid for the work that they perform.
ALTERNATIVES:
Status quo
1.. Charter language remains unchanged.
Budget, accountability, and impacts as outlined above.
Remove the election requirement from the charter.
2.
Budget
: No immediate impacts. Budget allocation for council salaries
could increase with future council action.
Accountability
: Decision-making would shift from voters to the council.
Community/council impacts
: Proponents argue that the council should
be allowed to administer salary increases without assuming the burden of
a city election; critics believe the voters should be the arbiters of council
salaries.
Implement a specific salary-level in the charter along with requirements
3.
for periodic review and/or pay increases.
1
Budget
: Budget impacts will depend on the specific proposal. For
example, if council members were paid for twenty hours a week at the
current living wage level of $11.44/hour, the monthly bill would be
approximately $7,207 (seven elected officials each working 90 hours a
month), or more than $86,000 annually.
Accountability
: After initial charter approval, all pay raises would be
predicated on a specific formula or review process.
Community/council impacts
: Proponents argue that more significant
salary levels would encourage prospective council candidates who now
feel that serving on the council is too much of a financial burden.
Conversely, critics argue: 1) that it is inappropriate to allocate extensive
city funding to support elected officials; and, 2) that substantive salary
levels would encourage council members to become too involved in city
administration.
2