REPORT TO SALARY SETTING COMMISSION
SUBJECT
Title
Action on Resolution Setting the Salaries of Mayor and Council Members as unchanged for the Period July 1, 2019, to July 1, 2021, Pursuant to City Charter Section 702
Report
BACKGROUND
City Charter Section 702 requires that the newly-constituted Salary Setting Commission establish the salaries for the positions of Mayor and Council Member for the period July 1, 2019, and ending two years thereafter. The Salary Setting Commission has met on six occasions over the period January through March 2019, and the members of the Commission have thoroughly reviewed and discussed the various data points pertaining to, and aspects of, the issue of salary setting for these elected officials. The Charter requires that the Commission make their compensation decision by March 15th. At their February 28th meeting, the Commission voted unanimously to leave the current salary levels of Mayor and Council Member unchanged for the subject period, and directed staff to return at the next meeting with a resolution setting forth the Commission's decision.
DISCUSSION
In arriving at its decision to maintain current salary levels for Mayor and Council, the Commission took into consideration the following:
* At the time of the 2016 general election, the salary of the Council Members was $855.27 per month and the salary of the Mayor was $1,425.47 per month. In the 2016 general election, the voters passed Measure O, which increased the salary of the Council Members to $2,000 per month and salary of the Mayor to $2,500 per month. These salary increases more than doubled the Council Members' salaries and increased the Mayor's salary by approximately 75%.
* The nature and scope of the positions of Mayor and Council Member - in terms of the number of meetings attended, time commitment involved, types of issues considered, etc. - does not appear to have substantially changed since the time of the 2016 election.
* The Mayor and Council Membe...
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