REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Authorize the City Manager to execute the 2026-2029 Memorandum of Understanding Between the City of Santa Clara and the Unclassified Fire Management (Unit 9B), Approve a Corresponding Update to the Unclassified Salary Plan and Approve the Related Budget Amendments
Report
BACKGROUND
The Unclassified Fire Management (Unit 9B) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) expired on or about December 31, 2025. The City and Unit 9B began negotiations on a successor MOU in March 2026 and met approximately eleven (11) times. On or about July 2, 2026, the City and Unit 9B reached a Tentative Agreement on terms for a successor MOU. Unit 9B ratified the Tentative Agreement on July 8, 2026.
Updated Salary Plan
Section 9 of the Personnel and Salary Resolution requires City Council approval of compensation plans for both classified and unclassified positions. California Code Regulations Section 570.5 requires the adoption of updated publicly available salary schedules by the governing body. The attached Resolution approves the updated unclassified salary plan for all classifications represented by Unit 9B consistent with the terms of the subject MOU.
SB 707
Effective July 1, 2026, Senate Bill (SB) 707 amended sections of the Brown Act requiring that, prior to taking final action, the legislative body shall orally report a summary of the recommendation for a final action on the salaries, salary schedules or compensation paid in the form of fringe benefits when involving a local agency executive or department head of the local agency, as defined by the law. The Fire Chief (Job Code 117) is the head of the Santa Clara Fire Department, and is a classification represented by the Unclassified Fire Management (Unit 9B). While the Tentative Agreement between the City and Unit 9B does not include a salary range increase for the classification of Fire Chief in the first year of the Tentative Agreement, it does involve a one-time non-pensionable discretionary ...
Click here for full text