REPORT TO CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION
SUBJECT
Title
Announcement of and Call for Applicants to the Salary Setting Commission
Report
BACKGROUND
Pursuant to Charter Section 702, the Civil Service Commission is announcing and calling for applicants for the City of Santa Clara Salary Setting Commission, which is charged with setting the compensation for the Mayor and Council. The elected City Clerk was recently added to the purview of the Salary Setting Commission by the adoption of Ordinance No. 1983. Pursuant to Council direction, Council will consider an ordinance on September 18, 2018, to add the elected Police Chief’s compensation to the Salary Setting Commission’s duties.
Specifically, Charter Section 702 states in part:
Commencing on July 1, 2019, and every two years on July 1 thereafter, the compensation of the City Council and Mayor shall be set by a Salary Setting Commission consisting of five members to be appointed by the Civil Service Commission from the qualified electors of the City for a term of four years. The first members shall be appointed for a term commencing January 1, 2019. Initially, the Commissioners shall be appointed in a manner so that two are appointed for two-year terms and three are appointed for four-year terms.
Appointment to the Salary Setting Commission will generally follow the Voting Guidelines used to appoint members to all other City Commissions in that, the total number of votes each Civil Service Commissioner is eligible to cast will be determined by the total number of applications received. The top three candidates that receive the highest number of votes will serve for the full four-year term and the second highest two candidates will be appointed to the two-year term. Upon the closing of the application period, once the total number of applications is known, staff will present a recommendation on the number of votes that may be cast by each Civil Service Commissioner and include that information in the agenda report for the October 25 meeting.
DISCUSSION
Per the referenced Charter Section, the Salary Setting Commission must be formed and its five (5) members appointed no later than January 1, 2019. Hence, staff recommends the following schedule for outreach and appointment:
Week of September 17 - Begin promotion of the vacancies as described above
Thursday, October 18 by 5:00 p.m. - Applications due to the City Clerk’s Office
Thursday, October 25 - Interviews and Appointment of Members to the Salary Setting Commission as approved by the Civil Service Commission
Monday, November 19 - Oath of Office for all Commissioners and Orientation Meeting
Communication Outreach Plan
There will be two different communication outreach plans related to the Salary Setting Commission - one to inform the public of the roles and responsibilities of the Commission as it is created and one to promote the vacancies and seek interested residents to serve.
The communication outreach plan will include the following:
• Development of a city webpage and posting news items, social media posts and the City Manager’s Blog with direct links to the page for more information
• Development of a flyer to post at City facilities
• Email flyer and information to constituent database
• Email flyer and information to the Interest List maintained by the City Clerk’s Office
• Post an advertisement on government access (Channel 15)
• Issue a press release to local media outlets
The communication outreach plan will also include information regarding the various terms for the five Commissioners and detailed requirements for potential candidates regarding eligibility and conflict of interest as described below.
Eligibility and Conflict of Interest
Before serving on the Salary Setting Commission, any interested resident must meet eligibility requirements and, in order to avoid any potential or perceived conflict of interest, the following criteria will apply to each Commission member.
Before serving on the Commission, each member must establish:
• That she/he is a qualified elector of the City, and
• At the time of application, she/he must also provide two forms of proof of residency (e.g., driver’s license, passport, utility bill, etc.).
Before serving, each member must also sign a waiver expressly providing:
• That she/he does not and will not work for, volunteer for, or make a campaign contribution to a candidate for City of Santa Clara elective office while serving on the Commission;
• That she/he will not run for a City of Santa Clara elective office for five (5) years commencing on the date of her/his appointment to the Commission;
• That she/he is not currently a City of Santa Clara registered lobbyist and will not register as a City of Santa Clara lobbyist for ten (10) years commencing on the date of her/his appointment to the Commission;
• That she/he is not a family member, staff member, close personal friend, business partner/associate, in a position to financially benefit from a decision made by the Commission, or a paid campaign staff member of an elected City of Santa Clara city official; and
• That she/he will file required Statements of Economic Interest - Form 700 pursuant to the Political Reform Act.
FISCAL IMPACT
It is important for the Salary Setting Commission to note that the City’s current Ten-Year General Fund Financial Plan forecasts annual cumulative deficits between $4 million to $28 million over the next ten years. This means that ongoing expenditures are continuing to outpace ongoing revenue projections. However, by committing to fiscal discipline and addressing the annual deficits with cost reductions, alternative service delivery options, or increasing ongoing revenues it is anticipated that the City’s fiscal condition will be able to stabilize. As part of the development of the Fiscal Year 2019/20 Proposed Budget, the City’s Ten-Year General Fund Financial Plan will be updated.
COORDINATION
This report has been coordinated with the City Attorney’s Office, Finance Department and the City Clerk’s Office.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Civil Service Commission agenda on the City’s official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall Council Chambers. A complete agenda packet is available on the City’s website and in the City Clerk’s Office at least 72 hours prior to a Regular Meeting and 24 hours prior to a Special Meeting. A hard copy of any agenda report may be requested by contacting the City Clerk’s Office at (408) 615-2220, email clerk@santaclaraca.gov or at the public information desk at any City of Santa Clara public library.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
1. Announce and call for applicants to the Salary Setting Commission pursuant to Charter Section 702;
2. Set October 18, 2018 at 5:00 p.m. as the deadline to submit an application to serve on the Salary Setting Commission to the City Clerk’s Office;
3. Set October 25, 2018, at 6:00 p.m. as the next regular Civil Service Commission meeting to conduct interviews and appoint members to the Salary Setting Commission; and
4. Set November 19, 2018 as the Oath of Office Ceremony for the newly established Commissioners of the Salary Setting Commission.
Staff
Reviewed by: Julia Hill, Assistant Director, Human Resources
Approved by: Nadine Nader, Assistant City Manager