Camarillo City Council
AGENDA REPORT
Date: June 24, 2026
To: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
From: Greg Ramirez, City Manager
Submitted by: Rachel Richman, City Attorney
Subject: Consideration of an Ordinance regarding Compensation for Members of the City Council Pursuant to Government Code Section 36516
BACKGROUND
Government Code section 36516 sets the permissible salary levels for City Councilmembers in General Law cities, such as Camarillo. The salary of Councilmembers may be increased beyond the amount provided in the subdivision by ordinance, but the increase shall not exceed the greater of the following:
An amount equal to 5% for each calendar year from the operative date of the last salary adjustment, or
An amount equal to inflation since January 1, 2024, based on the California Consumer Price Index (CPI), not to exceed 10% for each calendar year.
Any salary adjustment must be approved by the City Council prior to the general municipal election to become effective at the start of the new Council term. The current City Council monthly salary is $1,620.56.
DISCUSSION
An increase in City Council compensation may be considered to align with rising costs of living and the increasing demands of public service. Compensation increases can help ensure that qualified individuals are attracted to and can remain in elected positions, supporting effective governance.
Pursuant to California Government Code § 36516, the City Council may elect to apply either the annual percentage method (up to 5% per year) or a CPI-based inflation adjustment at the time of establishing compensation. In addition, the Council has, as its practice split its annual increase over a two year period such that any increases would be applied to be effective in 2027 with another increase in 2028 while staying under the total 5% annual increase cap.
City Council Compensation
June 24, 2026
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9 4
As it has been the City’s practice to use clear, fixed percentage increases that are easy to apply and administer, if the Council determines to approve an increase, staff recommends continuing the straight percentage method up to 5% versus the inflation CPI based adjustment formula.
The historical rate increases of the past 11 years for Council compensation are provided below:
Calendar Years Approved Increase
(each year) Ordinance #
2015 and 2016 2% 1091
2017 and 2018 1.5% 1125
2019 and 2020 2% 1155
2021 and 2022 Waived None
2023 and 2024 2.5% 1194
2025 and 2026 2% 2021
FISCAL IMPACT
If Council compensation is increased, the necessary funds will be appropriated in the FY 2026-2027 and FY 2027-2028 budgets.
CEQA DETERMINATIONS
Not applicable
RECOMMENDATION
1. Review and Discuss City Council compensation and determine what increase shall be effective, not to exceed the permissible 5% total, after the November 2026 election, effective January 1, 2027; and
2. Introduce an Ordinance amending the Camarillo Municipal Code to reflect the compensation increase of ___% as allowable under Government Code section 36516 for calendar years 2027 and 2028; or
City Council Compensation
June 24, 2026
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9 4
3. Take other action(s) related to this compensation item.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Ordinance
REFERENCE MATERIALS – AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW AT CITY HALL None