Laguna Woods City Council
February 18, 2026

Section 5.20.070 (“Prohibiting of feeding certain wildlife”) of Chapter 5.20 (“Wild, Exotic and Nondomesticated Animals”) of the Laguna Woods Municipal Code is amended to read as follows (additions shown with underlining, deletions shown with strikethrough):

Sec. 5.20.070. Prohibiting of feeding certain wildlifeFeeding of coyotes, rodents, vermin, and other wildlife.
(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to feed or in any manner provide food for nondomesticated mammalian predators such as coyotes (Canis Latrans). This section shall also include a ban on feeding or providing food to raccoons, foxes, skunks, and opossums. (b) Exceptions:
(1) An owner in legal possession of a nondomesticated animal that is kept under a valid permit issued by the City per Section 5.20.010 of this Code. (2) When a person provides food and water to a trapped, injured or unweaned nondomesticated animal during the time animal services is notified and the animal has been picked up.
(a) Purpose and intent.
(1) The purpose and intent of this section is to control the presence of coyotes and other wildlife predators in urbanized settings by discouraging practices that are reasonably likely to provide sustenance for those predators, whether directly or indirectly by supporting the presence of rodents, vermin, and other wildlife that may serve as prey therefore. By controlling the presence of coyotes and other wildlife predators in urbanized settings, the City seeks to promote public health, safety, and welfare, and deter dangerous encounters between wildlife and humans and their pets. (2) This section is not intended to be exclusive and compliance with its provisions shall not excuse noncompliance with any federal, state, or other local laws. (b) Feeding prohibited. No person shall feed or take any other action which is reasonably likely to provide sustenance for coyotes, rodents, vermin, or other wildlife. For the purpose of this section, “action which is reasonably likely to provide sustenance for coyotes, rodents, vermin, or other wildlife” means any action, whether intentional or not, that results in any food, drink, or other substance that is edible or consumable by any coyotes, rodents, vermin, or other wildlife being located outside of any building for any amount of time. The prohibition established by this section also includes any action in violation of any wildlife ITEM 8.2 – Exhibit A to Attachment A
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feeding prohibitions set forth in California Code of Regulations sections 251.1 or 251.3. (1) Examples of actions which are reasonably likely to provide sustenance for rodents, vermin, or wildlife may include, but are not limited to, the following:
a. Depositing, leaving, placing, or throwing outdoors or directly providing to any wild animal any bread, eggs, food scraps, fruits, grain, kernels, mealworms, meat, millet, nectar, nuts, pet food, seed, soup bones, or vegetables. b. Leaving pet food or water bowls unattended, outdoors, in an area that is readily accessible by any wild animal.
c. Allowing grain, kernels, mealworms, millet, nectar, or seed within a bird feeder to fall and remain or accumulate outdoors.
d. Allowing unharvested fruits or vegetables to decay or rot on a plant or tree. e. Allowing fruits or vegetables that have fallen, been harvested, or otherwise detached or been removed from a plant or tree to decay, rot, remain, or accumulate outdoors.
(c) Exemptions. This section shall not apply to the following:
(1) The interior of residences or other buildings.
(2) Waste receptacles that comply with applicable City regulations. (3) The natural growth or abscission of berries, branches, flowers, seeds, stalks, stems, leaves, nuts, and roots grown as part of plants or trees that are not generally commercially marketed as producing edible fruits or vegetables for the purpose of human consumption (e.g., Holly (Ilex opaca), Osage Orange (Maclura pomifera), Callery Pear (Pyrus calleryana), and Cherry Plum (Prunus cerasifera)). (4) Food and drinks that:
a. Are actively attended or being consumed by a person. This subsection is intended to provide limited exemptions for food and drinks set out for human consumption at actively attended events (e.g., meals at park benches and picnics).

The use of “actively attended” in this subsection shall not be interpreted as exempting the activity described in subsection (b)(1)a. b. Are fully enclosed in containers or packaging.
(5) Pet food and water bowls that are located:
a. At any restaurant or fast/fast casual food establishment, provided such bowls are only placed on the ground when actively being used by the pet and actively attended by a person. Once no longer in active use by the pet, the contents of bowls must be removed and disposed of in a manner that does not result in a violation of this section.

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b. On a balcony or other surface located on the second or higher floor of any building.
c. Within a patio or yard fully enclosed by fences, walls, doors, and/or gates at least five feet in height, when all doors and/or gates leading outdoors are closed and secured or actively attended by a person.
d. In an outdoor area and used for the purpose of providing food or water to a pet when being walked or recreating, provided such bowls are only placed on the ground when actively being used by the pet and actively attended by a person.

Once no longer in active use by the pet, the contents of bowls must be removed and disposed of in a manner that does not result in a violation of this section. (6) Small, incidental amounts of grain, kernels, mealworms, millet, nectar, or seed intended to be dispensed from a bird feeder which falls or accumulates outdoors through no active intent of any person. This subsection is intended to provide limited exemptions for activities such as foraging and discarding by birds, interference by squirrels and other wildlife, wind, and accidental spills that the owner of or person attending the birdfeeder has made a reasonable attempt to clean. This subsection does not exempt activity for which an enforcement officer has witnessed or collected evidence to support the attraction of rats.
(7) Seed that is thrown, deposited, or placed outdoors in connection with a landscape activity sanctioned by the owner of any property.
(8) Fruit or vegetable plants or trees that are located:
a. At any community garden/garden center, as that term is defined in Chapter

13.06 of this Code.
b. On a balcony or other surface located on the second or higher floor of any building.
c. Within a patio or yard fully enclosed by fences, walls, doors, and/or gates at least five feet in height, when all doors and/or gates leading outdoors are closed and secured or actively attended by a person.
d. Within netting or a wire-mesh protective cage with openings no larger than two inches.
(9) Water:
a. Contained within a bird bath, fountain, hot tub, penalty area on a golf course, swimming pool, wading pool, or similar ornamental or recreational amenity or water feature.
b. Dispensed from any drinking fountain.
c. Dispensed for any landscape irrigation purpose.

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d. Disposed from any pet bowl onto dirt, grass, or another pervious surface. (10) Activities directly related to providing sustenance for animals receiving care or other services at any commercial animal establishment that has been duly licensed or permitted to do so in accordance with Chapter 5.10 of this Code. (11) Activities directly related to providing sustenance for horses at any equestrian center. (12) Other activities or facilities that the City Manager determines are substantially similar to the nature of one or more exemptions specifically identified in this section. (d) Use of technology. The City Manager may use surveillance cameras and similar technology to identify violations of this section. The use of technology shall comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws. No surveillance camera shall be affixed to or installed on any private property without authorization of the property owner of record for the parcel where it is to be placed.
(e) Communication with state agencies. The City Manager may file complaints and reports with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, or successor agency, and other state agencies, regarding known or suspected feeding of wildlife that could violate California Code of Regulations sections 251.1 or 251.3.
(f) References. This section may be referred to as the “Wildlife Feeding Ordinance.” ITEM 8.2 - Attachment B
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University of Nebraska - Lincoln
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln
USDA National Wildlife Research Center - Staff
Publications
U.S. Department of Agriculture: Animal and
Plant Health Inspection Service
June 2007
Spatial and Temporal Variation in the Diet of Coyotes in the Chicago Metropolitan Area
Paul S. Morey
Utah State University, Logan, UT
Eric M. Gese
USDA/APHIS/WS National Wildlife Research Center, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/icwdm_usdanwrc Part of the Environmental Sciences Commons
Morey, Paul S. and Gese, Eric M., "Spatial and Temporal Variation in the Diet of Coyotes in the Chicago Metropolitan Area" (2007). USDA National Wildlife Research Center - Staff Publications. 698. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/icwdm_usdanwrc/698
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the U.S. Department of Agriculture: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in USDA National Wildlife Research Center - Staff Publications by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln.

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Spatial and Temporal Variation in the Diet of Coyotes in the Chicago Metropolitan Area
PAUL S. MOREY1
Department of Forest, Range, and Wildlife Sciences, Utah State University, Logan 84322 ERIC M. GESE
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Department of Forest, Range, and Wildlife Sciences, Utah State University, Logan 84322 AND

STANLEY GEHRT
210 Kottman Hall, 2021 Coffey Road, The Ohio State University, Columbus 43210 ABSTRACT.—Coyotes (Canis latrans) are an opportunistic predator that have adapted to many human-modified environments. Conflicts between coyotes and humans are an increasing concern for managers in urban areas. We examined the spatial and temporal utilization and availability of natural and human-associated food for coyotes in the Chicago metropolitan area, Illinois, USA. We collected 1429 coyote scats from May 2000 to December 2002, and conducted prey surveys in 2002, in 4 sites that varied in their degree of urban development. Dominant food items included small rodents, white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), fruit, eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) and birds. Their availability and occurrence in scats varied among sites and seasons. The occurrence of human-associated food items, which was only found in significant amounts in the most developed site, varied seasonally (2–25%). Because coyotes in less-developed areas had lower dietary diversity, these coyotes may have to venture into developed areas when there is a decline in the abundance of major prey species for that specific area.

INTRODUCTION
Coyotes (Canis latrans) are opportunistic carnivores that have adapted to urban encroachment into their native habitats. In addition, coyotes have colonized urban areas where coyotes were once absent. Coyotes have been documented in large metropolitan areas from Los Angeles to New York City (Howell, 1982). Although their use of commercial areas is uncommon (Quinn, 1997a; Grinder and Krausman, 2001), coyotes have been found in downtown New York City (Martin, 1999) and multiple coyotes have been observed and captured in or near downtown Chicago (C. Anchor and S. Gehrt, unpubl.). Urban areas can provide habitat for coyotes in city parks, golf courses, wooded areas in residential neighborhoods and abundant water sources from streams, lakes, ponds, wetlands. Urban areas can also provide native prey including rodents, deer, leporids and other small mammals and human-associated foods like domestic pets, garbage, vegetable gardens and pet food (McClure et al., 1995; Quinn, 1997b).

The management and conservation of coyotes in urban areas is helped by an examination of the coyote’s reliance on natural and human-associated food items. Because temporal fluctuations of food abundance can alter coyote use of food items (Clark, 1972; Nellis and Keith, 1976; Litvaitis and Shaw, 1980), an understanding of the seasonal use and availability 1Corresponding author: Dolores Public Lands Office, U.S. Forest Service, P.O. Box 210, Dolores, Colorado 81323. Telephone: (970) 882-6853; FAX: (970)882-6841; e-mail: [email protected] Am. Midl. Nat. 158:147–161
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of food can also be helpful. Furthermore, because the urban landscape is a matrix of land uses, there may be spatial variation in the use and availability of natural and humanassociated food items. Thus, an examination of coyote diets in different areas that vary in their human land-use may help understand the spatial variation of diets.

Understanding coyote diets in urban areas also has important management implications regarding human-coyote conflicts. Coyote use of anthropogenic foods has been suggested as a precursor, or contributor, to aggressive behavior by coyotes toward people (Timm et al., 2004). Diet studies in some cities have shown that human-associated foods are utilized more by urban coyotes (MacCracken, 1982; McClure et al., 1995) than rural coyotes; (Johnson and Hansen 1979; Rose and Polis 1998) and coyote reliance on those foods may contribute to the conflicts. Whereas coyote attacks on people are generally rare, a higher frequency of attacks occurs in the Southwest than elsewhere in the US (Baker and Timm, 1998, Timm et al., 2004). Although coyotes were native to the Chicago metropolitan area, they were rarely observed in the area throughout most of the 20th Century (Gehrt 2004). Through changing land use and decreased persecution, coyotes have recently become more common to the region, much like they have in many metropolitan areas in the Midwest and Eastern United States. Information on coyote diets in these landscapes is important to understand their success in urbanized landscapes.

Our objective was to examine the diet of coyotes in areas that vary in the degree of human land use in the Chicago metropolitan area. We investigated this by seasonally analyzing the dietary diversity found within coyote scats collected in sites with varying degrees of human association. Further, we investigated how availability of prey may influence selection of food items by assessing relative prey abundance among sites and seasons.

METHODS
Our study was conducted in four sites in western Cook and eastern Kane counties in northeastern Illinois. These counties were part of the greater Chicago metropolitan area, which was the third largest metropolitan area in the country with 9.1 million people (U.S.

Census Bureau, 2000). Winter temperatures and precipitation averaged 23 C and 3.8 cm/ month, respectively, and summer temperatures and precipitation averaged 19 C and

9.9 cm/month, respectively. Some native fauna included white-tailed deer(Odocoileus virginianus), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), raccoon (Procyon lotor), voles (Microtus spp.), whitefooted mice (Peromyscus spp.), beaver (Castor canadensis), opossum (Didelphis marsupialus), eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) and muskrat (Ondatra zibethica). Non-native fauna included house cat (Felis domesticus), domestic dog (Canis familiaris) and ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus).

Scat collection and prey surveys were completed in two public forest preserves, one private preserve and a collection of city parks in Schaumburg, Illinois, USA. A concurrent radiotelemetry project estimated each study site contained two to three coyote packs, plus transients (Morey, 2004). Although some movements of radiocollared coyotes occurred between sites, little home range overlap between sites was evident. The two public forest preserves were Ned Brown Forest Preserve (NB) and Poplar Creek Forest Preserve (PC).

Both forest preserves were open to the public and received considerable recreational use in the summer; NB received 1.5 million visitors/year, mostly during non-winter months (Prange et al., 2003). Ned Brown Forest Preserve was 1499 ha and located 5 km west of Chicago O’Hare International Airport. Habitats included mature second growth oak (Quercus spp.), sugar maple (Acer saccharum) and basswood (Tilia americana) forests (66%), open water (15%), old agricultural fields (10%) and paved roads, parking lots and picnic 148 THE AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST 158(1)
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areas (9%). The area was surrounded by medium-density residential and high-density commercial areas and was bordered on two sides by 8-lane highways. Major uses of the area included picnicking, hiking and biking. The 1825 ha PC received considerably fewer visitors per year. Habitats included old agricultural fields (49%), forests (28%), active agricultural fields (17%), open water (4%) and paved roads, parking lots and picnic areas (2%).

Medium-density housing, a commercial area and an 8-lane highway bordered the preserve.

Picnicking, hiking and biking were major uses in this area. Refuse was present at picnic groves during warm months at both forest preserves (Gehrt, 2004).

The 495 ha Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation (MM) was managed as a private natural area and hunting and fishing preserve. Habitats included forests (46%), agricultural areas (22%), grasslands (15%) and wetlands and open water (13%) and roads, parking lots and buildings (4%). Forests included second growth oak, maple (Acer spp.) and hickory (Carya spp.) communities. The property was adjacent to a gravel pit and areas of intense public use that included 2 small amusement parks. Private property in the center of MM included a restaurant, miniature golf area, small shopping plaza and a small residential area consisting of approximately 50 homes. Primary activities in MM included upland game bird hunting and fishing. Coyotes were not hunted or controlled on the property during the study. The Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation site along with PC and NB were the least developed urban study sites. Schaumburg (SCH) was between NB and PC and had the most urban development. It consisted of a human population of 75,400. It was 14.4 km from the city of Chicago and surrounded by 6 cities (population range: 23,100 [Roselle] to 49,500 [Hoffman Estates]). Primary land uses within this area was medium-density residential and commercial use. It included 58 small city parks, two golf courses, four small natural areas and a water treatment plant.

Dietary utilization was determined by collecting coyote scats within 2 m of fixed routes consisting of roads and pedestrian paths at the four study sites between May 2000 and December 2002. The length of scat-routes varied from 9.0 to 13.3 km. We collected scats at least bimonthly, except in winter when logistics limited the collection to monthly. We stored scats individually in plastic bags in a freezer until analyzed. We dried scats at 50 C for 48 h, separated manually, and food items were identified from keys (Schopmeyer, 1974; Adorjan and Kolenosky, 1969; Moore et al., 1974) and a reference collection of bones and dorsal hairs. ‘‘The percentage of occurrence of food items in all scats was used for analyses. A food item occurring , 10% in an individual scat was not counted because small prey items can be overestimated when the percentage of occurrence technique is used (Martin et al. 1946; Weaver and Hoffman 1979).

We examined dietary differences among sites using contingency tables and chi-square analyses with Statistical Analysis Software (SAS Institute Inc., 2001). We used ShannonWeaver index (Colwell and Futuyma, 1971) to estimate dietary diversity among biological seasons and sites. We defined biological seasons as: breeding (Jan. 1–Apr. 30), pup-rearing (May 1–Aug. 31) and dispersal (Sept. 1–Dec. 31) (adapted from Laundre and Keller, 1981).

We used a t-test (Hutcheson, 1970) to examine differences in diversity indices among sites and seasons.

We determined relative prey abundance by conducting roadside counts of possible coyote prey and small mammal trapping along each scat route for three consecutive days in the middle of each biological season in 2002. The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee at Utah State University approved all animal-handling techniques (protocol #1061).

Roadside counts were surveyed in a vehicle traveling 15–25 kph on scat routes in forest preserves and on roads adjacent to scat routes in SCH. Morning roadside counts produce 2007 MOREY ET AL.: DIET OF COYOTES IN CHICAGO 149
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the highest counts for lagomorphs (Newman, 1959; Kline, 1965) and urban domestic cats (Hasple and Calhoon, 1993), therefore roadside counts were started 30 mins before sunrise and lasted until approximately 30 minutes past sunrise. The survey direction was alternated each survey. To reduce environmental conditions influencing prey counts, counts were not conducted in winds .15 kph or during rain (Kline, 1965). We reported an index of the number of animals seen/km for each site and season.

We conducted small-mammal trapping using M-4 museum special traps (Woodstream Corporation, Lititz, PA). Ten trap-transects were spaced approximately 0.2 km apart along or near scat collection routes in each site. Spacing between transects was systematically determined by the length of the scat route; longer scat routes had a greater distance between transects. To reduce disturbances of traps in areas of high human use, transects in parking or picnic areas were moved to the nearest area with low human use. Each transect contained 10 traps spaced 5 m apart. Traps were baited with a peanut butter-rolled oats mixture and operated for three consecutive nights, with trap inspection every morning. We created indices of total captures per unit of trap effort for each site in each biological season. We qualitatively compared indices from trap and roadside surveys with scat results to examine use versus relative abundance among sites and seasons.

RESULTS
We collected 1429 coyote scats in the four study sites. Small rodents (voles and whitefooted mice) constituted the highest frequency of occurrence in all seasons and sites (Table 1); all small rodents were grouped together in the results. Small rodents were followed by deer, fruit, eastern cottontail (cottontail), bird, raccoon, grass, invertebrate, human-associated food items, muskrat, house cat and unidentified food items. Bird occurrence was not identified to species. Fruits identified in scats were mulberrys (Morus alba), crabapples (Malus sp.) and chokecherrys (Prunus sp.). Human-associated food included fast food wrappers, pieces of rubber, candy wrappers, plastic, string, aluminum foil and dog food. Other food items that occurred in , 1% of scats included corn, eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis), eastern fox squirrel (S. niger), coyote, domestic dog, eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus), opossum and short-tailed shrew (Blarina bravicauda).

Seasonal fluctuations of each of the top 3 food groups and top three mammal species were similar among years. Therefore, we combined data across years to examine for site and seasonal differences among food items. There was a difference in overall diet between sites for the top five food items (x2
12 5 535.15, P , 0.001). There was also a difference between sites in the occurrence of rodents (x2
12 5 181.21, P , 0.001). Rodent occurrence was
highest in NB (Table 1), where it was 2 to 3 times higher than other sites, even though rodents were ranked as one of the top-ranked food items in other sites. Deer occurrence differed between sites (x2
3 5 77.80, P , 0.001), with the highest occurrence in PC (Table 1). Cottontail occurrence also differed among sites (x2 3 5 78.71, P , 0.001), with
the highest occurrence in PC and SCH. The occurrences of birds (x2 3 5 205.61, P , 0.001)
and plant items (x2
3 5 167.05, P , 0.001) were different among sites; they were ranked highest in MM (Table 1). Human-associated food items, which included domestic cats for this comparison, differed between sites (x2
3 5 72.46, P , 0.001), with the highest
occurrence in SCH (Table 1).

Site differences were also shown by the range of Shannon-Weaver indices among sites (Table 2). The SCH and MM had a pattern of higher dietary diversity than NB and PC for all seasons except pup-rearing (Table 3). Although not different from the second ranking, the developed site, SCH, had the highest dietary diversity across all seasons (Table 3). Ned 150 THE AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST 158(1)
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Brown Forest Preserve had a lower dietary diversity than other sites except during puprearing. The equitability indices showed that small Shannon-Weaver indices were due to overrepresentation of some food items. The low Shannon-Weaver indices for NB were due to a high use of rodents during the breeding and dispersal seasons (Fig. 1).

Seasonal fluctuations of the top five food categories and human-associated food items showed similar patterns for several sites. Comparisons of the top five food items (small rodents, deer, plants, cottontails, birds) for all sites combined showed seasonal differences (x2
8 5 272.98, P , 0.001). The lack of adequate sample sizes for some sites in some of the seasons prevented examining contingency tables across seasons within sites. Qualitatively, within seasons and sites, bird occurrence was low among seasons for all sites except MM where it was highest during the breeding season (Fig. 1). Deer was more abundant in PC and NB during the pup-rearing season, and more abundant during the breeding season in MM (Fig. 1). Both small rodents and cottontails occurred in lower frequencies during the pup-rearing season, and fruit higher during the pup-rearing season, for all sites (Fig. 1).

Human-associated food items were rarely found in any season except in SCH where they occurred more during the pup-rearing and dispersal seasons (Fig. 1). Dietary diversity was highest during the pup-rearing season in all sites except MM, where it was highest during the dispersal season (Table 4). Dietary diversity was lowest during the breeding season in all sites. All prey surveys were conducted within 2 wks in the middle of each biological season, TABLE 1.—Percent occurrence of food items found in coyote scats collected in four study sites in the Chicago metropolitan area, Illinois, May 2000–December 2002. Study sites: NB 5 Ned Brown Forest Preserve, PC 5 Poplar Creek Forest Preserve, MM 5 Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation, SCH 5 Village of Schaumburg
NB PC MM SCH All Sites
Small rodents 73.8 37.2 27.9 31.3 41.8
White-tailed deer 16.9 35.1 13.6 10.0 22.0
Fruit 8.0 12.5 44.2 30.7 22.7
Eastern cottontail 9.8 27.5 8.6 25.3 17.7
Bird species 3.7 4.7 32.9 8.0 13.1
Raccoon 9.2 5.2 13.4 4.7 8.5
Grass species 5.2 6.5 5.0 10.0 6.2
Invertebrate 1.2 2.6 7.9 7.3 4.3
Human-associated 2.1 2.8 1.0 10.7 1.9
Muskrat 4.6 0.7 0.2 1.3 1.5
Domestic cat 1.2 0.4 0.5 6.7 1.3
Unknown 0.6 0.7 0.7 3.3 1.0
# of Scats 325 535 419 150 1,429
TABLE 2.—Seasonal dietary diversity indices (Shannon-Weaver index) for coyotes in 4 sites in the Chicago metropolitan area, Illinois, May 2000–December 2002. Study sites: NB 5 Ned Brown Forest Preserve, PC 5 Poplar Creek Forest Preserve, MM 5 Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation, SCH 5 Village of Schaumburg. Numbers in parentheses are equitability indices Season NB PC MM SCH
Breeding 1.36 (0.55) 1.60 (0.67) 1.67 (0.73) 1.84 (0.84) Pup-rearing 2.02 (0.84) 1.89 (0.79) 1.71 (0.74) 2.15 (0.87) Dispersal 1.45 (0.59) 1.84 (0.77) 1.96 (0.85) 2.01 (0.84) 2007 MOREY ET AL.: DIET OF COYOTES IN CHICAGO 151
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except for NB when snowfall postponed surveys during the dispersal season until the beginning of December. Average morning temperatures during surveys were 20.5 6 5.5 C (x¯ 6SD) for the breeding season, 21.8 6 2.6 C for the pup rearing season, and 1.2 6 5.9 C for the dispersal season. The three main prey species observed during morning roadsidecounts were deer, cottontail and pheasant (Fig. 2). Other prey items recorded during counts that were observed in small numbers (, 1 animal / 10 km driven) included domestic cat, raccoon, beaver and opossum. More deer were observed at PC during the breeding season than other sites, but less than MM and NB during pup-rearing and dispersal seasons, respectively (Fig. 2). SCH had very few observations of deer in any season. The highest number of cottontail observations for all sites was during the pup-rearing season. The fewest number of cottontail observations for all sites was during the breeding and dispersal seasons (Fig. 2). Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation was the only site where pheasants were observed (Fig. 2). The number of pheasants observed at MM was relatively constant across seasons, with only a small decrease during the pup-rearing season.

Three hundred trap-nights for small mammal trapping were recorded/season for each study site. Short-tailed shrews represented 1% of captures. White-footed mice and meadow voles constituted 88% of all small rodents trapped and unidentified Peromyscus and Microtus species made up the remaining 10%. Overall, more small rodents were captured during the pup-rearing season than other seasons for all sites except MM (Fig. 3).

DISCUSSION
Coyotes in the suburbs of Chicago relied on natural food sources, but with high spatial and temporal variability. Small rodents, deer, lagomorphs and plant material, which made up the majority of food items, have been found to be important food sources for rural (Leopold and Krausman, 1986; Toweill and Anthony, 1988; Cypher, 1993) and urban (Atkinson and Shackleton, 1991; Quinn, 1997b; Fedriani et al., 2001) coyotes. Although several urban studies have shown a temporal variation in food item selection, we also found spatial variation within an urban area.

Small rodents were the dominant food source for coyotes in the study area. Although more rodents were found in scats during the breeding and dispersal seasons, we captured more small-mammals during the pup-rearing season in all sites except MM in 2002. This contrasts to other studies that found the occurrence of rodents correlated with their abundance (Nellis and Keith, 1976; Litvaitis and Shaw, 1980). The decreased use of small rodents by coyotes when their population was high during the pup-rearing season may be due to an increased availability of other food sources. Alternatively, the high occurrence of TABLE 3.—Ranking (4 5 highest, 1 5 lowest) of dietary diversity indices (Shannon-Weaver index) for coyotes among four study sites during three seasons in the Chicago metropolitan area, Illinois, May 2000–December 2002. Underlined study sites were not significantly different in their rankings (P ,

0.05). Study sites: NB 5 Ned Brown Forest Preserve, PC 5 Poplar Creek Forest Preserve, MM 5 Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation, SCH 5 Village of Schaumburg Season
Ranking
4321
Breeding SCH MM PC NB
Pup-rearing SCH NB PC MM
Dispersal SCH MM PC NB
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small rodents in traps and low occurrence in their diet may be due to: increased trap vulnerability of rodents in summer months due to increased activity, a decrease in capture vulnerability by coyotes due to dense vegetation or a preference of different prey by coyotes.

Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation was the only site having food items other than small rodents occurring in high frequencies, possibly due to the lack of rodents or other prey sources. Although the occurrence of small rodents at MM was slightly lower than PC and SCH, the abundance of Peromyscus and Microtus species in MM was lower than all other sites.

Other food items, like bird and plant material, may have supplemented the lower use of rodents at this site.

FIG. 1.—Seasonal fluctuations of percent occurrences of the six main food categories in coyote scats collected at four sites in the Chicago metropolitan area, Illinois, May 2000–December 2002. Study sites:

NB 5 Ned Brown Forest Preserve, PC 5 Poplar Creek Forest Preserve, MM 5 Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation, SCH 5 Village of Schaumburg
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154 THE AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST 158(1)
ITEM 8.2 - Attachment E
Deer were an important food source available year round in some study sites. While the killing of mature deer by coyotes is possible (Koehler and Hornocker, 1991; Paquet, 1992; Gese and Grothe, 1995), deer consumption by coyotes often comes from carrion (Ozoga and Harger, 1966; Nellis and Keith, 1976). In our study area, the year-round availability of road-killed deer was probably the main source of carrion and a possible characteristic of urban landscapes. During summer, deer occurrence included fawns. Although we did not discern fawns from adults, we observed several occurrences of fawn remains(i.e., small hooves, teeth, and fawn hairs) in scats. We also observed remains of deer fawns at three coyote dens in our study area. Because coyotes have been found to be a major predator of fawns (Nelson and Woolf, 1987; Smith, 1990; Patterson and Power, 2002), coyotes may be keeping the deer population lower in our study area.

The higher abundance and occurrence of deer in the diet of coyotes at PC was likely due to land management practices. Poplar Creek Forest Preserve differed from other sites in that it lacked an active culling program as found in NB, did not have deer hunting like MM, and did not have small fragmented preserves like SCH. Similar to what Fisher (1980) found, the high deer occurrence at PC may also be due to an open pit used to dispose of management culled deer in the winter months.

Plant material, mostly mulberry fruit found in scats from June through August, occurred in a high percentage of MM and SCH scats; these sites contained more non-native flora than the two forest preserves. However, plant occurrence in scats during the pup-rearing season may be inflated due to increased deposition rates of plant material (Andelt and Andelt, 1984), resulting in the misinterpretation that plant material was more important than nonplant food items among seasons and sites. Despite the possible over-representation of vegetation in scats, it was an important food source during the summer at MM and SCH.

The occurrence of cottontail in scats showed similar trends as rodents. Although PC and SCH had the highest overall occurrences, seasonal trends were similar across all sites. r
FIG. 2.—Seasonal fluctuations of percent occurrences of the top three prey items observed on roadside counts at four sites in the Chicago Metropolitan Area, Illinois, February 2002–December 2002.

Study sites: NB 5 Ned Brown Forest Preserve, PC 5 Poplar Creek Forest Preserve, MM 5 Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation, SCH 5 Village of Schaumburg
TABLE 4.—Ranking (3 5 highest, 1 5 lowest) of dietary diversity indices (Shannon-Weaver index) for seasonal food habits of coyotes in four study sites in the Chicago metropolitan area, Illinois, May 2000– December 2002. Underlined seasons were not significantly different in their rankings. Study sites: NB 5 Ned Brown Forest Preserve, PC 5 Poplar Creek Forest Preserve, MM 5 Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation, SCH 5 Village of Schaumburg
Study Site
Ranking
321
NB Pup-rearing Dispersal Breeding
PC Pup-rearing Dispersal Breeding
MM Dispersal Pup-rearing Breeding
SCH Pup-rearing Dispersal Breeding
2007 MOREY ET AL.: DIET OF COYOTES IN CHICAGO 155
ITEM 8.2 - Attachment E
Decreased utilization of cottontail by coyotes has been found during summer months (Korschgen, 1957; Andelt, 1985; Leopold and Krausman, 1986). But similarly to rodents, cottontail abundance determined by roadside counts was highest during the puprearing season. The low occurrence of cottontail in scats during pup-rearing may be explained by a decrease in capture vulnerability by coyotes during the summer months due FIG. 3.—Seasonal fluctuations of the top two rodent genus’ trapped at four sites in the Chicago metropolitan area, Illinois, February 2002–December 2002. Study sites included: NB 5 Ned Brown Forest Preserve, PC 5 Poplar Creek Forest Preserve, MM 5 Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation, SCH 5 Village of Schaumburg
156 THE AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST 158(1)
ITEM 8.2 - Attachment E
to increased vegetation growth. In addition, the attraction of cottontails to grass along pedestrian paths, roads and picnic areas may have made them more observable during roadside counts.

Birds were an important part of coyote diets only at MM. Although birds were not identified by species in the scat analysis, bird remains in scats at MM were likely from captiveraised pheasants released for hunting from November through March each year. The pheasants released may have been vulnerable to coyotes due to their captive upbringing and lack of exposure to predators. Although pheasants do occur in other parts of northeast Illinois, the lack of observations from roadside counts of pheasants at the other sites showed they were not widely available. Pheasants were the only bird species recorded during prey surveys. Other bird species encountered during prey surveys were aquatic or non-terrestrial, and were determined not to be a prey species for coyotes.

The use of human-associated food items by coyotes in our study area was low compared to coyote studies in western states. Coyotes adapt to urbanized environments by consuming human-associated food items (McCracken, 1982; Fedriani et al., 2001). In western Washington, domestic cats and squirrels (Sciurus and Tamiasciurus spp. were preyed upon more in urban areas than other mammal species; this contrasted with voles as the most consumed mammal in adjacent mixed-agricultural land (Quinn, 1997b). Near Tucson Arizona, McClure et al. (1995) showed a large reliance (35% occurrence) on humanassociated food items. In southern California, Shargo (1988) showed a large occurrence of garbage (40.9%) and domestic cat (13.6%) in coyote scats. In the Chicago area, coyotes have been observed foraging in dumpsters and out of fast food bags (P. Morey, pers. obs.). The occurrence of human-associated foods in SCH peaked in pup-rearing and dispersal seasons when people were more active outdoors and probably leaving more trash. There was, however, a potential for garbage consumption by coyotes year-round in SCH that went underutilized. Even though on several occassions we witnessed coyotes pulling garbage out of dumpsters and eating curbside trash, radiotracked coyotes were regularly observed during garbage collection days, traveling through residential areas without feeding on curbside garbage.

Coyotes in forest preserves in our study area used human-associated food items less than in the developed SCH site. The presence of human-associated foods in coyote diets in developed areas may be due to their reduced fear and acclimation to human environments.

The lack of human-associated foods in coyote diets in forest preserves may be due to a fear of human environments and their avoidance of such areas. However, human activity in the forest preserves, which was restricted to daylight hours, should not have prevented coyotes from foraging on garbage at night when humans were not present (Gehrt, 2004). The results suggest the lack of utilization of human-associated food items by coyotes in forest preserves had lower contact with humans than animals in SCH.

Coyotes in sites with the most human development had the highest dietary diversity.

Fragmented landscapes often have the highest biological diversity (Rosenberg and Raphael, 1986). In southern California, coyotes in areas with higher human occupation had a greater dietary diversity than those in areas with a lower human occupation (Fedriani et al., 2001).

Dietary diversity may stabilize coyote populations in developed areas. The diverse prey utilization in developed areas allowed coyotes in these areas to have alternative food choices if a prey population declined. Because many of these alternate food choices were natural food items, this may explain why they do not rely heavily on human-associated food items. In addition, because of the high diversity of food options, coyotes in developed areas may be less likely to use and become habituated to human-associated food sources. 2007 MOREY ET AL.: DIET OF COYOTES IN CHICAGO 157
ITEM 8.2 - Attachment E
High dietary diversity indices during summer may be due to increased food availability, providing coyotes with more dietary choices. During summer, there was fresh plant material available, more vulnerable young prey and increased human garbage in parks and preserves.

These same food items were absent during the winter when the diversity indices were low.

Dietary diversity may explain why coyotes used rodents and cottontails less during the puprearing months even though they were more abundant. During the rest of the year, they relied on cyclic prey species such as rodents and cottontails when there was a narrower choice of prey species. An implication for this pattern is that during the breeding season when food diversity is low, coyotes, particularly those in less-developed areas, may venture into human landscapes in search of food.

Studying diets of coyotes in urban areas requires an examination of the spatial and temporal variation in the utilization and availability of food resources. There have been very few studies that have examined these two scales together, and none in the environment of the Midwestern United States. We found the main food items for coyotes in the Chicago metropolitan area, depending on where and when scats were collected, varied widely. Our results also showed coyotes in developed areas had different diets than those in lessdeveloped areas. The high diversity of food items in developed areas may explain their low use of human-associated foods, which may reduce conflicts with humans. Baker and Timm (1998) found that coyote conflicts with humans in southern California have been due to coyotes becoming habituated with human-associated food. Conflicts between coyotes and humans in the Chicago metropolitan area may be low because there have been no conflicts with human-associated food. If this is true, other urban areas that also have a high diversity of food may have the same low conflict level between coyotes and humans.

Although the occurrence of coyotes in urban areas may be of concern to some managers and residents, their presence could be beneficial. Coyote predation could reduce deer populations on a local scale that are overpopulated, thereby reducing damage to tree saplings and vehicles. Studies have found the absence of coyotes in an area could also have negative effects on rodent richness and diversity (Henke and Bryant, 1999). Additionally, urban coyotes could reduce rodent populations causing damage to tree seedlings (Ostfeld et al., 1997). Lack of coyotes may also cause meso-predator releases resulting in increased pressure on meso-predator prey (Crooks and Soule´, 1999). Our results have shown that there may be temporal and spatial variation in the conflict and benefit potential that coyotes have within the same urban area. To help determine when, where, or if coyotes in the urban landscape have these potentials, understanding this temporal and spatial variation is helpful.

Acknowledgments.—Financial, logistical support and facilities were provided by Cook County Animal and Rabies Control, Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation, Forest Preserve District of Cook County, the Logan Field Station of USDA/APHIS/WS/National Wildlife Research Center and Utah State University.

We especially would like to thank Chris Anchor from the Forest Preserve District of Cook County for his time and support. We would also like to thank John A. Bissonette, Paul Box, Ju¨rgen Symanzik, Bob Montgomery, Charles Paine, Pat Terletzky, Susan Durham, Dave Brooks and Rob Erickson for their input into the project. We owe special thanks to the following technicians who greatly contributed to the project: Jamie Reib, Chantell King, Chevenell Mullens, Marty Heiser, Dan Bogan, Chris Diel, Bridgette Frederick, Kiera Freeman, Mike Neri, Tim Preuss, Greta Turschak and the numerous other technicians and volunteers that have helped with the project.

LITERATURE CITED
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COLWELL, R. K. AND D. J. FUTUYMA. 1971. On the measurement of niche breadth and overlap. Ecol., 52:568–576.

CROOKS, K. R. AND M. E. SOULE´. 1999. Mesopredator release and avifaunal extinctions in a fragmented system. Nature., 400:563–566.

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GESE, E. M. AND S. GROTHE. 1995. Analysis of coyote predation on deer and elk during winter in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Am. Midl. Nat., 133:36–43.

GRINDER, M. I. AND P. R. KRAUSMAN. 2001. Home range, habitat use, and nocturnal activity of coyotes in an urban environment. J. Wildl. Manage., 65:887–898.

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JOHNSON, M. K. AND R. M. HANSEN. 1979. Coyote food habits on the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory. J. Wildl. Manage., 43:951–956.

KLINE, P. D. 1965. Factors influencing roadside counts of cottontails. J. Wildl. Manage., 29:665–671.

KOEHLER, G. M. AND M. G. HORNOCKER. 1991. Seasonal resource use among mountain lions, bobcats, and coyotes. J. Mammal., 72:391–396.

KORSCHGEN, L. J. 1957. Food habits of the coyote in Missouri. J. Wildl. Manage., 21:424–435.

LAUNDRE`, J. W. AND B. L. KELLER. 1981. Home range use by coyotes in Idaho. Anim. Behav., 29:449–461.

LEOPOLD, B. D. AND P. R. KRAUSMAN. 1986. Diets of three predators in Big Bend National Park, Texas. J.

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LEWIS, T. L., W. F. JENSON, K. A. KEEHLR AND R. W. SEABLOOM. 1994. Summer and fall food habits of coyotes in southwestern North Dakota. Prair. Nat., 26:287–292.

LITVAITIS, J. A. AND J. H. SHAW. 1980. Coyote movements, habitat use, and food habits in southwestern Oklahoma. J. Wildl. Manage., 44:62–68.

MARTIN, A. C., R. H. GENSCH AND C. P. BROWN. 1946. Alternative methods in upland gamebird food analysis. J. Wildl. Manage., 10:8–12.

MARTIN, D. 1999. Wild (and unleashed) coyote is captured in Central Park. N.Y. Times., 148:51480, page B1.

MCCLURE, M. F., N. S. SMITH AND W. W. SHAW. 1995. Diets of coyotes near the boundary of Saguaro National Monument and Tuscon, Arizona. Southwest. Nat., 40:101–125. 2007 MOREY ET AL.: DIET OF COYOTES IN CHICAGO 159
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MCCRACKEN, J. G. 1982. Coyote foods in a southern California suburb. Wildl. Soc. Bull., 10:280–281.

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modeling habitat relationships of terrestrial vertebrates. Univ. Wisconsin Press, Madison. 470 p.

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WEAVER, J. L. AND S. W. HOFFMAN. 1979. Differential detectability of rodents in coyote scats. J. Wildl.

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SUBMITTED 5AUGUST 2005 ACCEPTED 22 NOVEMBER 2006
2007 MOREY ET AL.: DIET OF COYOTES IN CHICAGO 161
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MISSION
ITEM 8.2 - Attachment F
Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District
13001 Garden Grove Blvd., Garden Grove, CA 92843 • 714.971.2421 • 949.654.2421 ocvector.org • facebook.com/ocvectorcontrol • twitter.com/ocvector General Information
Squirrels are small mammals with short legs and long hairy tails. The squirrel family has 273 species and includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, antelope squirrels, flying squirrels, chipmunks, prairie dogs, and marmots. Orange County has two native species: one type of ground squirrel and one type of tree squirrel. A second species of tree squirrel was introduced here and is a serious pest. Ground squirrels are social and nest in large subterranean colonies. Tree squirrels are less social, often solitary, and nest in trees. Squirrels eat such things as roots, leaves, seeds, nuts, insects, bird eggs, and fish.

California ground squirrel (Spermophilus beecheyi, native). Head and body 23-28 cm (9-11 inches) long, tail 13-23 cm (5-9 inches) long. Hairs on its head are brownish, those on its body are brown interspersed with small patches of white or off-white hairs that form a checkerboard pattern. Whitish hairs form lines on the sides of its neck and shoulders. The chest and belly are off-white. The tail is bushy, but not as bushy as our other squirrels. They feed on a wide variety of plant life and need only open soil to dig their dens and build nests within. They have a home range of about

4.5 hectares (11 acres).

Eastern fox squirrel (Sciurus niger, a type of tree squirrel, not native). Head and body 25-38 cm (10-15 inches) long, tail 23-35 cm (9-14 inches) long. Most hairs on its back and sides are gray, though in some populations they are rusty brown. Hairs on its cheeks, ears, and paws are rusty-yellowish. The belly is yellowish to orangish. The tail is very bushy with a gray upper (dorsal) surface and long orangish hairs along its sides and lower (ventral) surface. They travel mostly on the ground and will even climb out of one tree and walk on the ground to the next tree. They eat a variety of fruits and nuts. They have a home range of over 20 hectares (50 acres), a much larger area than the western gray squirrel.

Western gray squirrel (Sciurus griseus, a type of tree squirrel, native). Head and body 23-30 cm (9-12 inches) long, tail 25-30 cm (10-12 inches) long. Hairs throughout its body appear to be a uniform gray, though some hairs are black, others white. They often have a small patch of rusty hairs behind their ears. Paws are dark gray to black.

The belly is white. The tail is very bushy and gray with very long white hairs. They eat mostly acorns and are usually found in places where oak trees live. They travel from tree to tree, seldom on the ground. In fact, they are rarely found more than a few meters away from any tree. They have a home range of about 0.1-6.5 hectares (0.3-16 acres).

What Do They Look Like?
Squirrels are members of the squirrel family (Sciuridae), which is part of the rodent order (Rodentia). All rodents have a single pair of sharp upper and lower front teeth (incisors) that continually grow. In some species, the mouth closes behind the incisors, leaving the incisors exposed. Rodents have no canine teeth and have a large space between their incisors and molars.

Squirrels have a long completely-hairy tail, short legs, and a short snout (rostrum). Some types, such as ground squirrels, have internal cheek pouches in which they carry food back to their nests. Tree squirrels have no internal cheek pouches.

Back & sides
all gray
Back & sides
gray, sometimes
rusty-yellowish
White chin,
chest, & belly
Yellowish to
orangish chin,
chest, & belly
Tail gray above,
orangish
on sides
Off-white
chest & belly
Tail not as bushy
as that of
a tree squirrel
Tail gray with long
white hairs
White lines on
neck & shoulders Brown & whitish
checkerboard
pattern on sides
Status
☑ Bites ☑ Carries internal & external parasites ☑ Can transmit pathogens on its body Squirrels ☑ Often infested with fleas that can vector pathogenic bacteria, the cause of plague ITEM 8.2 - Attachment G
Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District
13001 Garden Grove Blvd., Garden Grove, CA 92843-2102 • 714.971.2421 ocvector.org • facebook.com/ocvectorcontrol • twitter.com/ocvector Health Risks
Ground squirrels are host to fleas which can contain and transmit (vector) bacteria that cause disease. One such fleavectored bacterium (Yersinia pestis) cases plague, a disease that killed an estimated 60% of the human population of Europe in the 1300s-1400s. Ground squirrels are themselves killed by plague, which occasionally wipes out entire colonies. Squirrels are only rarely infected with rabies virus.

When an animal is dead or dying, its fleas leave the body and seek another host animal. If you are nearby, those fleas may jump onto you, bite, and increase your risk of contracting disease. If you find squirrels (or other rodents) acting strangely (weak, staggering, aggressive), dying, or dead for no apparent reason, keep back, do not approach, disturb, or handle them, and immediately notify the landowner (such as a park ranger).

Tips to Exclude Squirrels
Residents of squirrel-prone properties can take a number of preventive measures to discourage squirrels from their property.

Remove debris and trash that squirrels may use as shelter.

Eliminate potential food sources such as pet food and fallen fruit. Hang bird feeders from a squirrel baffle or use a squirrelproof feeder; both prevent squirrels from accessing bird food.

Ground squirrels typically dig under fences to gain access to yards. Fencing can be enhanced by digging about 24 inches below grade, installing chain link, and burying it. This effectively extends the fence below grade to make it difficult for ground squirrels to dig below it. Tree squirrels climb over fences, often on plants that extend over the fence. Prune plants away from fences and buildings; also prune low-hanging branches well above the ground.

Tree trunks can be outfitted with metal collars; squirrels and other rodents cannot climb over them. Stack lumber and
firewood at least 18” above the ground and 6” away from walls, fences, and other structures. Keep perimeter areas weed-free.

Secure garbage, recyclables, and compost in containers with tight-fitting lids. Squirrels are afraid of dogs; if you have a dog, give it access to your yard and squirrels will usually leave.

Life Cycle
Ground squirrels are typically encountered in parks, vacant lots, and hillsides where they excavate extensive communal burrows in well-drained soils. They hibernate during harsh or moderate winters, but usually do not hibernate during mild winters. Adults mate in late winter, give birth in spring, with 4-13 offspring in each litter. They live about 5 years.

Both of our tree squirrel species nest in tree cavities, in abandoned bird nests, and on tree limbs. Tree squirrels do not hibernate and are active all year. The western gray squirrel mates in winter-summer, gives birth in late winter-spring, and have one litter a year, with 3-5 offspring in each litter. They live about 11 years. Eastern fox squirrels have a mating season twice a year and have two litters a year, with 3-4 offspring in each litter. They live over 7 years.

Human Interactions
Squirrels forage for food in gardens and parks, even in fruit trees and in bird feeders. Their feeding may damage fruit-bearing and ornamental plants. They will also gnaw on plastic sprinkler heads and irrigation lines. Some eat bird eggs.

The California ground squirrel and western gray squirrel are native to our area and are important parts of natural ecosystems. They may become problematic when they venture onto human property. Ground squirrels sometimes dig
dens near homes, gardens, schools, playgrounds, and parks.

Mounded soil surrounding their burrows and entrance holes can become trip hazards. Sometimes they burrow under masonry walls, utility sheds, decks, and porches, undermining their stability.

The western gray squirrel typically lives in forests at higher elevations and is rarely found near homes. It too will feed in gardens and bird feeders in rural canyons and nearby foothills.

The eastern fox squirrel was intentionally introduced to southern California where it has become a voracious pest in urban and suburban areas. It is known to gnaw through wire shielding and plastics, causing damage to electrical systems.

This conical wrap-around
collar baffle, which is
placed below the feeder,
prevents squirrels and
other rodents from
climbing up to the
birdfeeder
This dome-shaped
baffle, which is
placed above the
feeder, prevents
squirrels and other
rodents from
climbing down into
the birdfeeder
This flat metal
shield serves as a
rodent baffle and
provides shade for
the birdfeeder
ITEM 8.2 - Attachment G

9.1 CITY COUNCIL SALARY AND EXPENSE

REIMBURSEMENT
This page is intentionally blank.

ITEM 9.1
CC  02-18-2026 Item 9.1 – Page 1 of 3
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
FROM: Christopher Macon, City Manager
FOR: February 18, 2026 City Council Meeting
SUBJECT: City Council Salary and Expense Reimbursement
Recommendation
[Note: If the City Council wishes to proceed with this item, the actions staff would recommend are as follows:]

1. Approve second reading and adopt an ordinance – read by title with further reading waived – titled:

AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LAGUNA WOODS, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING CHAPTER 2.02 OF THE LAGUNA WOODS MUNICIPAL

CODE INCREASING THE SALARY THAT EACH MEMBER OF THE CITY COUNCIL IS

ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE AND THE EXPENSES INCURRED IN THE PERFORMANCE

OF OFFICIAL DUTIES THAT EACH MEMBER OF THE CITY COUNCIL IS ELIGIBLE TO

BE REIMBURSED FOR, AND DETERMINING AND CERTIFYING THAT THE

ORDINANCE IS EXEMPT FROM THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT AND

2. Adopt a resolution titled:

A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LAGUNA WOODS, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING AND ADOPTING THE FISCAL YEARS 2025-27 BUDGET AND WORK PLAN FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025-26 COMMENCING JULY 1, 2025 AND ENDING JUNE 30, 2026, AND FISCAL YEAR 2026-27 COMMENCING JULY 1, 2026 AND ENDING JUNE 30, 2027, INCREASING GENERAL FUND APPROPRIATIONS

TO PROVIDE INCREASED SALARIES MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL ARE

ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE
ITEM 9.1
Item 9.1 – Page 2 of 3 CC  02-18-2026
Background
On December 17, 2025, acting on an item agendized by then-Mayor (now Councilmember) Horne, the City Council voted 4-1 with Councilmember Moore opposed, to direct staff to draft an ordinance for future consideration by the City Council that would – if adopted by the City Council – increase the salary that each member of the City Council is eligible to receive beginning with salaries paid for January 2027.

On January 21, 2026, the City Council voted 4-1 with Councilmember Moore opposed, to approve the introduction and first reading of the proposed ordinance, which would (1) increase the salary that each member of the City Council is eligible to receive to $500 per month ($6,000 per year) beginning with salaries paid for January 2027 and (2) amend expense reimbursement provisions of the Laguna Woods Municipal Code pertaining to members of the City Council.

Laguna Woods Municipal Code Chapter 2.02 (“City Council Generally”) makes members of the City Council eligible to receive a salary of $300 per month ($3,600 per year). The existing salary amount was established by Ordinance No. 99-07, adopted April 21, 1999.

California Government Code Section 36516 allows city councils to establish salaries for members thereof, by ordinance, up to a maximum amount per month based on population.

For Laguna Woods, the current maximum salary is $950 per month ($11,400 per year), unless otherwise approved by a majority of registered voters. Ordinances may not contain provisions that provide automatic future increases in salary.

California Government Code Section 36516.5 allows changes in salaries for all members of a city council to take effect at the beginning of any newly elected member’s term of office.

California Government Code sections 36514.5 and 53232.2 allow members of city councils to be reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of official duties, subject to certain conditions. Such reimbursements are not considered “salary,” pursuant to California Government Code Section 36516(e).

Discussion
Today’s meeting is an opportunity for City Council action and public input on an ordinance that would increase the salary that each member of the City Council is eligible to receive to $500 per month beginning with salaries paid for January 2027, and a corresponding budget adjustment resolution. The proposed ordinance would also amend expense reimbursement provisions of the Laguna Woods Municipal Code pertaining to members of the City Council.

The proposed ordinance (Attachment A) would:
• Increase the salary that each member of the City Council is eligible to receive to $500 ITEM 9.1
CC  02-18-2026 Item 9.1 – Page 3 of 3
per month, beginning with salaries paid for January 2027. o As is currently the case, members of the City Council would be able to waive any or all of their salaries (California Government Code Section 36516(f)). • Allow members of the City Council to be reimbursed for lodging, mileage, registration, transportation, and other costs incurred only when approved by the City Council and only in amounts consistent with California Government Code Section 53232.2 and other applicable law. [Note: The City’s preference is to pay costs that are included in City Council-adopted budgets directly, rather than requiring members of the City Council to advance those costs and then be reimbursed. The proposed ordinance would only apply to costs incurred directly by members of the City Council.] The proposed resolution (Attachment B) would increase Fiscal Year 2026-27 General Fund appropriations by $6,000 to fund the increased salaries for the period of January through June 2027. Any funds appropriated for salaries that are ultimately waived by members of the City Council would not be spent.

Fiscal Impact
The Fiscal Years 2025-27 Budget & Work Plan was adopted assuming City Council salaries of $300 per month. Increased salaries would require a budget adjustment of $6,000 for the period of January through June 2027 (included in the proposed resolution). Thereafter, the increased salaries would be incorporated into the development of future budgets and work plans at a maximum monthly cost of $2,500 ($500 x 5 members of the City Council).

Environmental Review
The City Council is asked to find that the proposed ordinance is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act of 1970, Public Resources Code Section 21000, et. seq., as amended and implementing State CEQA Guidelines, Title 14, Chapter 3 of the California Code of Regulations (collectively “CEQA”) pursuant to sections 15060(c)(2) (the activities will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment) and 15060(c)(3) (the activities are not a project as defined in section 15378) of the CEQA Guidelines, California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Chapter 3. CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(2) excludes “[c]ontinuing administrative. . . activities, such as . . . general policy and procedure making” and Section 15378(b)(5) excludes “[o]rganizational or administrative activities of governments that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment” from its definition of “project.” Attachments: A – Proposed Ordinance
B – Proposed Resolution
This page is intentionally blank.

ITEM 9.1 – Attachment A
O 26-XX 1 XX-XX-2026

CITY OF LAGUNA WOODS
ORDINANCE NO. 26-XX

AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LAGUNA WOODS, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING CHAPTER 2.02 OF THE LAGUNA WOODS MUNICIPAL

CODE INCREASING THE SALARY THAT EACH MEMBER OF THE CITY COUNCIL IS

ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE AND THE EXPENSES INCURRED IN THE PERFORMANCE OF

OFFICIAL DUTIES THAT EACH MEMBER OF THE CITY COUNCIL IS ELIGIBLE TO BE

REIMBURSED FOR, AND DETERMINING AND CERTIFYING THAT THE ORDINANCE IS

EXEMPT FROM THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT
WHEREAS, California Government Code Section 36516 allows city councils to establish salaries for members thereof, by ordinance, up to a maximum amount per month based on population; and
WHEREAS, California Government Code Section 36516 requires city councils to consider the adoption of an ordinance to increase compensation in open session during at least two regular meetings of the city council; and
WHEREAS, Laguna Woods Municipal Code Chapter 2.02 establishes the salary that each member of the City Council is eligible to receive and contains provisions regarding the expenses incurred in the performance of official duties that each member of the City Council is eligible to be reimbursed for; and
WHEREAS, the City Council wishes to increase the salary that each member of the City Council is eligible to receive from $300 per month to $500 per month, beginning with salaries paid for January 2027; and
WHEREAS, the City Council finds that increasing the salary that each member of the City Council is eligible to receive is necessary due to the existing salary having remained unchanged since it was first adopted in 1999 and not keeping pace with inflation; and
WHEREAS, the City Council also wishes to modify and update provisions of the Laguna Woods Municipal Code related to the expenses incurred in the performance of official duties that each member of the City Council is eligible to be reimbursed for in a manner that is consistent with California Government Code Section 36514.5; and WHEREAS, at the regular meeting on January 21, 2026, the City Council held a duly noticed public hearing on this Ordinance at which it considered all of the information, evidence, and testimony presented, both written and oral; and WHEREAS, at the regular meeting on February 18, 2026, the City Council considered this Ordinance for a second time in open session and also considered all of the ITEM 9.1 – Attachment A
O 26-XX 2 XX-XX-2026
information, evidence, and testimony presented, both written and oral.

THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LAGUNA WOODS, CALIFORNIA, DOES ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:

SECTION 1. The above recitals are true and correct.

SECTION 2. The City Council hereby finds that increasing the salary that each member of the City Council is eligible to receive is necessary due to the existing salary having remained unchanged since it was first adopted in 1999 and not keeping pace with inflation.

SECTION 3. After reviewing the entire project record, the City Council hereby determines and certifies that the Ordinance is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act of 1970, Public Resources Code Section 21000, et. seq., as amended and implementing State CEQA Guidelines, Title 14, Chapter 3 of the California Code of Regulations (collectively “CEQA”) pursuant to sections 15060(c)(2) (the activities will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment) and 15060(c)(3) (the activities are not a project as defined in section 15378) of the CEQA Guidelines, California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Chapter 3. CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(2) excludes “[c]ontinuing administrative. . . activities, such as . . . general policy and procedure making” and Section 15378(b)(5) excludes “[o]rganizational or administrative activities of governments that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment” from its definition of “project.” SECTION 4. Chapter 2.02 (City Council Generally) of the Laguna Woods Municipal Code is hereby amended to read as set forth in Exhibit A, attached to this Ordinance and incorporated herein by this reference.

SECTION 5. This Ordinance shall take effect and be in full force and operation 30 calendar days after adoption.

SECTION 6. If any section, subsection, subdivision, paragraph, sentence, clause, or phrase added by this Ordinance, or any part thereof, is for any reason held to be unconstitutional or invalid or ineffective by any court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of effectiveness of the remaining portions of this Ordinance or any part thereof. The City Council hereby declares that it would have passed each section, subsection, subdivision, paragraph, sentence, clause, or phrase thereof irrespective of the fact that any one or more subsections, subdivisions, paragraphs sentences, clauses, or phrases are declared unconstitutional, invalid, or ineffective.

SECTION 7. The Mayor shall sign this Ordinance.

SECTION 8. The City Clerk shall certify to the passage of this Ordinance and shall ITEM 9.1 – Attachment A
O 26-XX 3 XX-XX-2026
cause this Ordinance to be published or posted as required by law.

SECTION 9. All of the above-referenced documents and information have been and are on file with the City Clerk of the City.

PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED this XX day of XX 2026.
_____________________________________
ANNIE MCCARY, Mayor
ATTEST:
_____________________________________
YOLIE TRIPPY, CMC, City Clerk
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
_____________________________________
ALISHA PATTERSON, City Attorney

STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
COUNTY OF ORANGE ) ss.

CITY OF LAGUNA WOODS )
I, YOLIE TRIPPY, City Clerk of the City of Laguna Woods, do HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing Ordinance No. 26-XX was duly introduced and placed upon its first reading at a regular meeting of the City Council on the XX day of XX 2026, and that thereafter, said Ordinance was duly adopted and passed at a regular meeting of the City Council on the XX day of XX 2026 by the following vote to wit:

AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS:

NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS:

ABSTAIN: COUNCILMEMBERS:

ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS:
_______________________________________
YOLIE TRIPPY, CMC, City Clerk
This page is intentionally blank.

ITEM 9.1 – Exhibit A to Attachment A

EXHIBIT A

CODE AMENDMENTS
Laguna Woods, California, Code of Ordinances Created: 2025-12-17 10:02:10 [EST] (Supp. No. 37)

Chapter 2.02 (“City Council Generally”) of the Laguna Woods Municipal Code is amended to read as follows (additions shown with underlining, deletions shown with strikethrough):

CHAPTER 2.02. CITY COUNCIL GENERALLY
Sec. 2.02.010. Compensation for City CouncilmembersCity Council Salary.
(a) In accordance with Government Code § 36516 and Government Code § 1223, each member of the City Council shall be entitled to a salary in an amount of $300.00 per month for all months prior to January 2027. Such compensation shall be payable in the same manner as salaries are paid to other officers and employees of the City.

Alternatively, each member of the City Council may, in lieu of the $300.00 per month compensation, accept a vehicle reimbursement allowance in the amount of $300.00 per month.
(b) In accordance with California Government Code Section 36516 et al., each member of the City Council shall be eligible to receive a salary of $500 per month, beginning with salaries paid for the month of January 2027. Salaries shall be payable at the same time and by the same methods as City employees are regularly paid for the first pay period of each month, except when a member of the City Council assumes office in which case their first payment may occur in an alternate pay period, regardless of whether it is the first pay period of the month. Salaries shall be subject to all applicable payroll taxes and withholdings. Any member of the City Council may choose to waive any or all of their salary by filing written notice of such with the City Clerk’s Office.

Sec. 2.02.020. Expenses of CouncilmembersCity Council Expense Reimbursement.

In accordance with Government Code § 36514.5 an adopted City policy, and upon submission of an itemized account, any Councilmember may also be reimbursed for the actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of official duties. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any Councilmember who elects to receive a vehicle reimbursement allowance in lieu of compensation under Section 2.02.010 shall be ineligible for reimbursement of mileage ITEM 9.1 – Exhibit A to Attachment A
Created: 2025-12-17 10:02:10 [EST]
(Supp. No. 37)

expenses relating to the use of the Councilmember's personal vehicle within Orange County, incurred in the performance of official duties.
(a) Generally. In accordance with California Government Code sections 36514.5 and 53232.2, each member of the City Council may be reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of official duties, subject to the provisions of this section and compliance with other applicable laws.
(b) Applicability. This section does not apply to the City’s direct payment of expenses on behalf of members of the City Council (e.g., the City’s payment of conference registration and lodging costs using a City-issued check or credit card). Such payments shall comply with all applicable laws and City Council policies including, but not limited to, City Council-adopted budgets.
(c) Definitions. For purposes of this section only, the following definitions shall apply, in addition to those set forth in Section 3.18.030 of this Code:
(05) Performance of official duties shall mean:
a. Participation as a representative of the City in any conference, event, meeting, organized educational activity, or other occurrence;
b. Participation in any conference, event, meeting, organized educational activity, or other occurrence for the purpose of education or training relevant to their elected office; or
c. Any activity described in Article 2.4 of California Government Code (commencing with Section 53234).
(d) Conditions for Reimbursement.
(1) All expenses for which reimbursement is sought shall be approved by the City Council, in a public meeting, before the expense is incurred. a. Requested reimbursements that can be accommodated within adopted City Council department budgets shall be agendized as part of the consent calendar section of the public meeting agenda.
b. Requested reimbursements that cannot be accommodated within adopted City Council department budgets shall be agendized as part of the new business section of the public meeting agenda, together with a corresponding budget adjustment for City Council consideration.
c. Requested reimbursements that are included in a City Council-adopted budget shall be deemed approved on the date such budget was adopted. (2) All expenses for which reimbursement is sought shall require the presentation of receipts (or comparable documentation) substantiating that the expenses were incurred by the member of the City Council.

ITEM 9.1 – Exhibit A to Attachment A
Created: 2025-12-17 10:02:10 [EST]
(Supp. No. 37)

(3) Lodging costs shall not exceed the maximum group rate published by the conference or activity sponsor, provided that lodging at the group rate is available to the member of the City Council at the time of booking. If the group rate is unavailable, comparable lodging shall be used in the following order of availability: (i) the lowest government or group rate, (ii) a rate not to exceed the Internal Revenue Service rate described in subsection (5) of this section.
(4) Transportation and travel costs shall not exceed the lowest government or group rate offered by the provider of such transportation or travel, provided a government or group rate is available to the member of the City Council at the time of booking. If no government or group rate is available, transportation or travel costs shall be reimbursed at a rate not to exceed the Internal Revenue Service rate described in subsection (5) of this section.
(5) Except as otherwise set forth in this section, expenses shall only be reimbursed at rates equal to or less than Internal Revenue Service rates for reimbursement of travel, meals, lodging, and other actual and necessary expenses as established in Internal Revenue Service Publication 463, or any successor publication, when such rates apply. (6) Members of the City Council shall not be reimbursed for expenses incurred for the purchase of products containing alcohol, cannabis, or tobacco nor for expenses incurred due to a spouse or other person’s accompaniment or participation in transportation or travel. This section shall not be interpreted as preventing the reimbursement of lodging, transportation, or travel costs at rates compliant with subsections (3) and (4) of this section, provided such rates are not increased as a result of more than single occupancy.
(7) The City Manager and City Treasurer may pay reimbursements to members of the City Council provided such reimbursements comply with this section. The City Manager may refer any reimbursement request to the City Council for a compliance determination.

This page is intentionally blank.

ITEM 9.1 – Attachment B
R 26-XX 1 XX-XX-2026

CITY OF LAGUNA WOODS
RESOLUTION NO. 26-XX

A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LAGUNA WOODS, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING AND ADOPTING THE FISCAL YEARS 2025-27 BUDGET AND WORK PLAN FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025-26 COMMENCING JULY 1, 2025 AND ENDING JUNE 30, 2026, AND FISCAL YEAR 2026-27 COMMENCING JULY 1, 2026 AND ENDING JUNE 30, 2027, INCREASING GENERAL FUND APPROPRIATIONS TO

PROVIDE INCREASED SALARIES MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL ARE ELIGIBLE

TO RECEIVE
WHEREAS, the Fiscal Years 2025-26 Budget (“Budget”) was adopted by the City Council on June 25, 2025 (Resolution No. 25-18); and
WHEREAS, per City Administrative Policy 2.9, increases in adopted fund-level Budget appropriations require City Council approval; and City Council Salaries
WHEREAS, on February 18, 2026, the City Council adopted an ordinance to increase the salary that each member of the City Council is eligible to receive from $300 per month to $500 per month, beginning with salaries paid for January 2027; and WHEREAS, the Fiscal Years 2025-27 Budget & Work Plan was adopted assuming City Council salaries of $300 per month; and
WHEREAS, the increased City Council salaries will require a budget adjustment of $6,000 for the period of January through June 2027; and WHEREAS, the unassigned General Fund balance has sufficient funds to accommodate the increased appropriations; and
WHEREAS, funds appropriated for City Council salaries that are ultimately waived by members of the City Council will not be spent.

NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LAGUNA WOODS, CALIFORNIA DOES HEREBY RESOLVE, DECLARE, DETERMINE AND ORDER AS FOLLOWS:

SECTION 1. Section 2 of Resolution No. 25-18, as previously amended by Resolution Nos. 25-28, 25-34, 25-39, 25-41, and 25-44, is hereby amended, in its entirety, to read as follows:

The budget appropriations authorized, on a fund level, are:

ITEM 9.1 – Attachment B
R 26-XX 2 XX-XX-2026
Fiscal Year
2025-26
Adopted
Budget
Fiscal Year
2024-25
Carryover
Appropriations
Fiscal Year
2025-26
Budget
Amendments
Fiscal Year
2025-26
Amended
Budget
General Fund $10,814,328
(includes
transfers to
Capital Projects
Fund of
$1,860,000 and
to the Senior
Mobility Fund of
$406,052)
$64,902 $618,482A,B,D,E
$11,497,712
(includes
transfers to
Capital Projects
Fund of
$2,199,307 and
to the Senior
Mobility Fund of
$406,052)
Capital Projects Fund $1,860,000 $687,100 $493,074B,C,D $3,040,174 Fuel Tax $404,557 - - $404,557
Road Maintenance &
Rehabilitation Program $515,824 $14,993 - $530,817
Measure M2 (OC Go) $267,780 - - $267,780
Service Authority for
Abandoned Vehicles $0 - - $0
Supplemental Law
Enforcement Services $231,600 - - $231,600
Mobile Source
Reduction $10,000 - - $10,000
PEG/Cable Television $15,000 - - $15,000
Senior Mobility $652,598 - - $652,598
Community
Development
Block Grant (CDBG)
$500,000 - - $500,000
Federal Grants $0 $233,233 - $233,233
State of California
Grants $0 $274,924 - $274,924
Miscellaneous Special
Revenue $0 - - $0
Laguna Woods Civic
Support Fund $300 - - $300
Less: Transfer to Other
Funds ($2,266,052) - ($339,307)B,D ($2,605,359)
TOTAL $13,005,935 $1,275,151 $772,249 $15,053,335
A Fund Budget Adjustment CC-25/26-01: City Manager Agreement, +$16,347 (R 25-28) B Fund Budget Adjustment CC-25/26-02: Woods End Project, +$330,607 (R 25-34) C Fund Budget Adjustment CC-25/26-03: Unspent Capital Projects Funds, +$153,767 (R 25-39) D Fund Budget Adjustment CC-25/26-04: Pavement Project FY 2025-26, +$8,700 (R 25-41) E Fund Budget Adjustment CC-25/26-05: CEPPT Contribution, +$262,828 (R 25-44) ITEM 9.1 – Attachment B
R 26-XX 3 XX-XX-2026
Fiscal Year
2026-27
Adopted
Budget
Fiscal Year
2025-26
Carryover
Appropriations
Fiscal Year
2026-27
Budget
Amendments
Fiscal Year
2026-27
Amended
Budget
General Fund $9,611,466
(includes
transfers to
Capital Projects
Fund of
$350,000 and
to the Senior
Mobility Fund of
$406,052)
- $25,674A,B
$9,637,140
(includes
transfers to
Capital Projects
Fund of
$350,000 and
to the Senior
Mobility Fund of
$406,052)
Capital Projects Fund $350,000 - - $350,000
Fuel Tax $439,580 - - $439,580
Road Maintenance &
Rehabilitation Program $529,206 - - $529,206
Measure M2 (OC Go) $284,878 - - $284,878
Service Authority for
Abandoned Vehicles $0 - - $0
Supplemental Law
Enforcement Services $231,600 - - $231,600
Mobile Source
Reduction $10,500 - - $10,500
PEG/Cable Television $15,000 - - $15,000
Senior Mobility $686,906 - - $686,906
Community
Development
Block Grant (CDBG)
$500,000 - - $500,000
Federal Grants $0 - - $0
State of California
Grants $0 - - $0
Miscellaneous Special
Revenue $0 - - $0
Laguna Woods Civic
Support Fund $300 - - $300
Less: Transfer to Other
Funds ($756,052) - ($0) ($756,052)
TOTAL $11,903,384 $0 $25,674 $11,929,058
A Fund Budget Adjustment CC-26/27-01: City Manager Agreement, +$19,674 (R 25-28) B Fund Budget Adjustment CC-26/27-02: City Council Salaries, +$6,000 (R 26-XX) The budget appropriations authorized by this section reflect the Fiscal Years 2025-27 adopted budgets, plus authorized budget adjustments approved between July 1, 2025 and the date of this amendment. The budget appropriations authorized by this section also include carryovers of approved, but unspent, budget appropriations from prior fiscal years.

ITEM 9.1 – Attachment B
R 26-XX 4 XX-XX-2026
Such carryovers were approved by the City Council with the adoption of the current budget and/or pursuant to Administrative Policy 2.9.

SECTION 2. Funds appropriated for City Council salaries that are ultimately waived by members of the City Council shall not be spent.

SECTION 3. The Mayor shall sign this resolution and the City Clerk shall attest and certify to the passage and adoption thereof.

PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED this XX day of XX 2026.
_____________________________________
ANNIE MCCARY, Mayor
ATTEST:
_____________________________________
YOLIE TRIPPY, CMC, City Clerk

STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
COUNTY OF ORANGE ) ss.

CITY OF LAGUNA WOODS )
I, YOLIE TRIPPY, City Clerk of the City of Laguna Woods, do HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing Resolution No. 26-XX was duly adopted by the City Council of the City of Laguna Woods at a regular meeting thereof, held on the XX day of XX 2026, by the following vote:

AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS:

NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS:

ABSTAIN: COUNCILMEMBERS:

ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS:
_______________________________________
YOLIE TRIPPY, CMC, City Clerk

9.2 EMPLOYEE POSITIONS, COMPENSATION,

AND BENEFITS
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ITEM 9.2
CC  02-18-2026 Item 9.2 – Page 1 of 3
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
FROM: Christopher Macon, City Manager
FOR: February 18, 2026 City Council Meeting
SUBJECT: Employee Positions, Compensation, and Benefits Recommendation

1. Approve a modified job classification for the following City employee position:

Assistant to the City Manager.

AND

2. Adopt a resolution titled:

A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LAGUNA WOODS, CALIFORNIA, REPEALING RESOLUTION NO. 25-31, AND ESTABLISHING AND

MODIFYING A COMPENSATION SCHEDULE AND BENEFITS FOR CITY EMPLOYEES,

INCLUDING THE CITY MANAGER AND OTHER LOCAL AGENCY EXECUTIVES AS DEFINED IN CALIFORNIA GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 3511.1
Background
The City Manager is responsible for hiring and supervising all City employees, subject to the City Council’s approval of job classifications, authorization of positions, and establishment of a compensation schedule and benefits.

The City Council most recently updated its resolution establishing a compensation schedule and benefits for employees on September 17, 2025.

Discussion
Today’s meeting is an opportunity for City Council action, as well as public input, on the following proposals:

ITEM 9.2
Item 9.2 – Page 2 of 3 CC  02-18-2026
Job Classifications
• Approval of a modified job classification for one existing employee position. The Assistant to the City Manager position is currently vacant. Prior to recruiting to fill the vacancy, staff has reviewed the existing job classification. The proposed, modified job classification (Attachment A) would update the essential duties and minimum qualifications for the position, as well as make administrative and non-substantive modifications.

Compensation
• Increase of compensation ranges for certain employee positions based on a market survey. Compensation range increases are not the same as pay raises; unless an employee is currently paid less than their position’s proposed compensation range, compensation range increases affect only the minimum and maximum amounts they could be paid. Movement within compensation ranges continues to be based on merit and subject to budgetary constraints.

Table 1: Range Modifications – Exempt Positions

EXEMPT POSITIONS
Position Compensation Range (annual equivalent)
Administrative Services
Director/City Treasurer
Existing: $134,030.00-$187,642.00
Proposed: $139,391.20-$195,147.68
Assistant to the City Manager Existing: $103,090.00-$144,326.00 Proposed: $106,988.57-$149,784.00
Building Official Existing: $127,320.00-$178,248.00
Proposed: $132,753.52-$185,854.93
Planning & Environmental Services
Director
Existing: $134,030.00-$187,642.00
Proposed: $139,391.20-$195,147.68
Public Works Administrator Existing: $96,252.00-$134,752.80 Proposed: $106,294.29-$148,812.00
Senior Planner Existing: $89,918.40-$125,881.60
Proposed: $97,727.14-$136,818.00
Table 2: Range Modifications – Non-Exempt Positions

NON-EXEMPT POSITIONS
Position Compensation Range (hourly)
Accountant Existing: $35.45-$49.63
Proposed: $37.29-$52.21
Accounting Clerk Existing: $25.27-$35.38
Proposed: $25.88-$36.23
Receptionist Existing: $20.00-$28.00
Proposed: $23.00-$31.00
ITEM 9.2
CC  02-18-2026 Item 9.2 – Page 3 of 3
Senior Accountant Existing: $38.91-$54.47
Proposed: $42.36-$59.31
Benefits
• Elimination of employee repayment provisions in the educational assistance program. California Assembly Bill 692 (Kara, Chapter 703, Statutes of 2025) took effect on January 1, 2026 and changed how employers can require the repayment of monies paid to employees through educational assistance programs. Specifically, state law now requires employers to consider the transferability of credentials received by employees and the proportionality of the repayment amount to the length of the required employment period. Since the educational assistance program already limits the amounts employees can be paid to either $1,050, $2,625, or $5,250 per calendar year based on years of employment, staff recommends eliminating the existing employee repayment provisions rather than establishing more complicated policies to ensure that repayments comply with Assembly Bill 692.

Miscellaneous
• Explicit identification of the Administrative Services Director/City Treasurer, City Clerk, and Planning & Environmental Services Director as “department heads” for the purpose of California Government Code Section 3511.1(d)(2). California Government Code Section 3511.1(d)(2) defines a “local agency executive” for the purpose of state laws (e.g., local government compensation disclosures) as including the heads of local agency departments. These designations are not new (they are included in job classifications and the budget/work plan), but have been added to the proposed resolution for clarity and ease of reference.

Fiscal Impact
The Fiscal Years 2025-27 Budget & Work Plan includes sufficient funds to support the proposed employee positions, compensation, and benefits without amendment. No new or increased appropriations are sought as part of this item.

Report Prepared With: Liz Torres, Administrative Services Director/City Treasurer Attachments: A – Proposed Job Classification – Assistant to the City Manager B – Proposed Resolution (clean)
C– Proposed Resolution (redline)
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ITEM 9.2 – Attachment A
Assistant to the City Manager Job Classification – Approved: XX/XX/2026 – Page 1 of 7

CITY OF LAGUNA WOODS

JOB CLASSIFICATION
JOB TITLE: ASSISTANT TO THE CITY MANAGER
STATUS: EXEMPT AND AT-WILL
DEFINITION:

Under general supervision, the Assistant to the City Manager provides support ranging from clerical to highly complex, managerial-level administrative, analytical, professional, and technical support to the City Manager; leads interdepartmental teams and facilitates interdepartmental dialogue; plans, organizes, directs, coordinates, manages, and oversees assigned programs, projects, and services; conducts research, evaluation, and analysis; and, represents the City in a variety of intergovernmental and public settings.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED:

Employees are expected to apply well-developed program knowledge and skill to their exercise of independent discretion and judgment. Employees may only receive periodic instruction or assistance as new and unusual situations arise. Work is typically reviewed upon completion and, primarily, for overall outcomes.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

The duties assigned include, but are not limited to, all or a variety of, the following:
• Provide support ranging from clerical to highly complex, managerial-level administrative, analytical, professional, and technical support to the City Manager on matters that may involve any aspect of the City’s operations. Support may be temporary, ongoing, or project-based, variable in nature, and include oversight of work product generated by other City staff.
• Plan, organize, direct, coordinate, manage, and oversee assigned programs, projects, and services at a highly advanced journey- or senior-levels. • Develop, administer, implement, and monitor budgets for assigned programs, projects, and services, including preparing and monitoring budget estimates and ITEM 9.2 – Attachment A
Assistant to the City Manager Job Classification – Approved: XX/XX/2026 – Page 2 of 7 projections; analyzing trends; collaborating with other City staff and external parties; reviewing invoices; and, processing payment requests. • Prepare statutorily required reporting, notices, and other documentation related to assigned programs, projects, and services.
• Monitor, analyze, and report on legislative and regulatory proposals for impacts on the City’s operations and assigned programs, projects, and services, including preparation of positional correspondence and engagement with legislative and regulatory offices.
• Coordinate with code enforcement and legal counsel on enforcement matters and legal proceedings related to assigned programs, projects, and services. • Coordinate with risk management and insurance services providers to minimize risk exposure and loss related to assigned programs, projects, and services. • Lead interdepartmental teams and facilitate interdepartmental dialogue to ensure that City operations and activities are implemented in accordance with established goals, objectives, budgets, work plans, regulations, and policies. • Develop alternative, benchmark, feasibility, and operational studies for potential new and modified programs, projects, and services that consider factors including goals, objectives, legal and policy considerations, fiscal impacts, demographics, prior history, community support, and intergovernmental relations. • Prepare ordinances, resolutions, proclamations, commendations, public notices, and other documents for or related to City Council proceedings. • Assist with updates and maintenance of the City’s television channel, website, and marketing and communication platforms.
• Prepare, compile, and disseminate qualitative and quantitative documentation and data, including agendas, billing records, brochures, budgets, budget tracking sheets, correspondence, flyers, inventories, logs, manuals, minutes, photographs, reimbursement records, reports, statistics, and website content. • Receive and respond to public and private inquiries and complaints, including by providing information and referrals.
• Track, verify, and report on the status, history, and outcomes of inquiries and complaints, including referrals to other departments and outside agencies. • Prepare responses to public records requests, discovery requests, subpoenas, and similar requests for information.
• Research, compile, and analyze information and assorted data.

ITEM 9.2 – Attachment A
Assistant to the City Manager Job Classification – Approved: XX/XX/2026 – Page 3 of 7 • Create, scan, file, and maintain physical and electronic records. • Negotiate, develop, and administer contractual agreements with public and private parties, including developing and implementing solicitation processes, as well as evaluating performance and enforcing terms and conditions. • Coordinate grant processes, including preparing, reviewing, and monitoring grant applications, as well as administering and implementing grant activities. • Prepare and present oral and written reports, briefs, plans, budgets, and studies to the City Manager, City staff, City Council, and City committees. • Serve as a staff liaison to one or more City committees, including developing agendas, facilitating meetings, making presentations, and preparing minutes. • Represent the City and department to internal and external parties (e.g., members of the public, elected officials, other City departments, and outside organizations), including negotiating and resolving sensitive and controversial issues, as well as explaining and defending City and department operations and activities. • Assist with special events hosted, or participated in, by the City, including by interacting with members of the public (e.g., at a City table or booth) and moving, arranging, and configuring tables, chairs, and other equipment, as well as food, drinks, decorations, displays, waste, and other items, materials, and supplies. • Coordinate community outreach, education, and volunteer programs, including planning events and selecting, training, assisting, and supervising volunteers. • Select, train, supervise, and regularly evaluate assigned employees, including participating in discipline and termination proceedings when necessary. • Perform clerical, administrative, analytical, professional, and technical duties to support of relieve subordinate employees or meet other demands. • Ensure compliance with local, state, and federal laws; and, regulations that apply to assigned duties, as well as with applicable City policies, contractual agreements, grant agreements, deadlines, and other obligations. • Maintain knowledge of current laws, potential legislation, best practices, trends, innovations, and technology related to Department operations and activities. • Provide support and relief coverage for City and department employees. • Perform other related duties as assigned.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

ITEM 9.2 – Attachment A
Assistant to the City Manager Job Classification – Approved: XX/XX/2026 – Page 4 of 7 Knowledge of:
• Modern office procedures, methods, and equipment, including computers. • Responsive customer service practices, including active listening. • Standards, laws, rules, and regulations, as well as operational and activity characteristics, applicable to the assigned programs, projects, and services. • Principles of local government budgeting and financial recordkeeping. • Principles of grant applications and administration.
• Principles of human resources management (both employees and volunteers). • Principles of the California Public Records Act and Ralph M. Brown Act. • Principles and techniques of record keeping and filing. • Methods of program evaluation and assessment.

Ability to:
• Perform the essential duties described in this job classification in a professional, timely, and accurate manner with the referenced level and degree of supervision. • Exercise the judgment, initiative, decisiveness, and creativity required to perform the essential duties described in this job classification during critical, emergency, and time-sensitive situations involving risk or loss to the City. • Alphabetize, compare, count, differentiate, measure, assemble, sort, copy, record, classify, compute, tabulate, categorize, and transcribe data and information. • Supervise, evaluate, and train persons with diverse backgrounds. • Communicate effectively and concisely including the ability to inform, educate, and persuade persons with diverse backgrounds.
• Communicate in writing effectively and concisely, including with use of proper spelling, grammar, punctuation, and command of the English language. • Establish and maintain effective and collaborative professional relationships with internal and external parties.
• Demonstrate an awareness and appreciation of local cultural diversity. • Maintain confidentiality and discretion when necessary or directed.

ITEM 9.2 – Attachment A
Assistant to the City Manager Job Classification – Approved: XX/XX/2026 – Page 5 of 7 • Maintain professional composure at all times, including when dealing with upset, hostile, and difficult interpersonal interactions.
• Maintain effective organization of multiple activities and assignments in a busy office environment with frequent interruptions.
• Understand, analyze, interpret, and apply data and information using established criteria, in order to determine consequences and identify and select alternatives. • Understand, analyze, interpret, and apply standards, laws, rules, regulations, and policies to assigned duties.
• Understand, analyze, interpret, and apply ordinances, resolutions, policies, laws, procedures, standards, and practices to complex and variable situations. • Understand, analyze, interpret, and apply design and descriptive information, including plans, maps, property records, statistics, charts, graphs, and tables. • Understand, calculate, and interpret percentages, fractions, ratios, statistics, and spatial relationships, including areas, square footages, and dimensions. • Analyze and resolve issues that require complex planning for multi-disciplinary operations and activities, as well as concrete and abstract variables.

Education and Experience:

Any combination of education and experience that provides the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary for this position is qualifying. A typical way of obtaining the required qualifications is to possess a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in public administration, public policy, business administration, or subjects applicable to the assignment, and five years of increasingly responsible fulltime work experience involving relevant operations and activities. Possession of a master’s degree; prior experience administering programs, projects, or services for a municipal or other government agency, preferably in a City Manager’s Office; and, prior experience in a supervisory position are highly desirable.

Licenses/Certifications:

Must possess and maintain a valid Class C California Driver’s License and must qualify for and maintain insurability under the City’s vehicle insurance policies, as may change from time to time. This position involves the regular performance of duties and travel that require operation of a personal vehicle.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING:

While performing the duties of this class, employees are frequently required to sit, stand, walk, talk, and hear; use hands to handle, manipulate, feel, move and operate equipment, tools, and controls; and, use hands and arms to reach. Specific vision abilities required ITEM 9.2 – Attachment A
Assistant to the City Manager Job Classification – Approved: XX/XX/2026 – Page 6 of 7 include close, distance, peripheral, and color vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. Specific hearing abilities required include hearing in the normal audio range with or without correction. While most activities are performed sitting in a sedentary manner at a desk, and sitting or standing at a counter, employees are frequently required to exert physical effort, involving a combination of standing, walking, climbing, balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, as well as carrying, lifting, pushing, and pulling objects up to 30 pounds (e.g., setting up for and cleaning up after meetings and events).

While most of the duties of this class are performed in an office setting with low to moderate noise and regular interruption, employees are also frequently required to travel and work in other settings (e.g., meetings and events), which may involve outside weather with exposure to rain, humidity, heat, cold, and sunlight. Employees may experience high levels of noise and vibration, as well as exposure to odors, fumes, dust, smoke, hazardous substances, and other irritants that can cause discomfort and injury.

Employees may also come into contact with hazardous traffic conditions.

Work schedules and hours vary for this class based on the City’s needs and include some early mornings, evenings, weekends, and holidays.

Tools and Equipment:

Must possess the knowledge and ability to effectively use computers, copiers, scanners, facsimile machines, cash registers, credit card terminals, calculators, microfiche readers, telephones, digital cameras, rulers, keys, electronic access control devices, and other measuring devices to collect data and information. “Ability to effectively use computers” includes, but is not limited to, the knowledge and ability to input, query, and maintain information in software such as Microsoft Windows, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, Edge, and SharePoint, and Google Earth, as well as the City’s cashiering, code enforcement, geographic information system (“GIS”), multifactor authentication, permitting, inspection, scheduling, records, and teleconferencing software, as may change from time to time. “Computers” includes, without limitation, tablet devices.

OTHER NOTICES:

The duties listed above are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from this position if the work is a similar, related, or logical assignment.

The selection process for this position will include fingerprinting; a State of California Department of Justice criminal background check; reference checks; confirmation of education claims, licenses, and certifications; and, a physical medical examination.

This position is exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Pursuant to California Government Code Section 36506, neither this job classification nor any other communication, rule, or regulation shall be construed to provide employees with any tenure or property interest in employment with the City. All City employees serve “at will” and are subject to termination without cause at any time – no exceptions.

ITEM 9.2 – Attachment A
Assistant to the City Manager Job Classification – Approved: XX/XX/2026 – Page 7 of 7 All City employees are designated Disaster Service Workers by both state law and City ordinance. Duties when serving as a Disaster Service Worker may be in locations, during hours, and performing work significantly different from the employee’s normal duties.

The City of Laguna Woods is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of any legally protected category [race (including, but not limited to, traits historically associated with race such as hair texture and protective hairstyles), color, religion (including, but not limited to, religious dress and grooming practices), sex/gender (including, but not limited to, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition (including, but not limited to, genetic characteristics and cancer or a record or history of cancer), military or veteran status, national origin (including, but not limited to, language use and possession of a driver’s license issued to persons unable to provide their presence in the United States is authorized under federal law), ancestry, disability (including, but not limited to, mental and physical disabilities such as cancer, genetic characteristics, and human immunodeficiency virus (“HIV”)/ acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (“AIDS”)), genetic information, age over 40 years, or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state, or local law, including association with individuals with one or more of these protected characteristics or perception that an individual has one or more of these protected characteristics].

The City provides employment rights and non-discrimination on the basis of disability as established in the Americans with Disabilities Act. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable a person with a disability to perform this position’s essential functions.

Additional laws, rules, and regulations apply to this position.

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ITEM 9.2 – Attachment B
R 26-XX 1 XX-XX-2026

CITY OF LAGUNA WOODS
RESOLUTION NO. 26-XX

A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LAGUNA WOODS, CALIFORNIA, REPEALING RESOLUTION NO. 25-31, AND ESTABLISHING AND

MODIFYING A COMPENSATION SCHEDULE AND BENEFITS FOR CITY EMPLOYEES,

INCLUDING THE CITY MANAGER AND OTHER LOCAL AGENCY EXECUTIVES AS DEFINED IN CALIFORNIA GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 3511.1

THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LAGUNA WOODS, CALIFORNIA DOES HEREBY RESOLVE, DECLARE, DETERMINE AND ORDER AS FOLLOWS:

SECTION 1. Resolution No. 25-31 is hereby repealed. The effective date of this resolution is February 18, 2026.

SECTION 2. Compensation Schedule. The compensation schedule for City employees is established as set forth in Exhibit A, attached hereto and incorporated by this reference.

The City Manager is authorized to hire, promote, and compensate employees within established compensation ranges, to offer benefits, to fill any full-time position as a parttime or limited part-time position, and to hire employees for time-limited periods, consistent with City Council-adopted budgets and this resolution.

SECTION 3. Full-Time Employee Benefits. All employees who work 40 or more hours per week on a regularly assigned basis shall be considered “full-time employees” for the purpose of this resolution. Full-time employees shall receive the following benefits:

A. Paid Holidays: The City shall observe the following holidays with full-time employees receiving eight hours of compensation for each weekday on which a holiday is observed: Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Cesar Chavez Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth National Independence Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, Friday after Thanksgiving, and Winter Holiday (December 24 through January 1; when December 24 falls on a Tuesday, Winter Holiday shall be observed beginning on December 23; when January 1 falls on a Sunday or Thursday, Winter Holiday shall be observed through January 2). Except for Winter Holiday, which is observed on specified dates, when a holiday falls on a Saturday, it shall be observed the on prior Friday; when a holiday falls on a Sunday, it shall be observed on the following Monday.

Full-time employees with the designation “Building Employee” in Exhibit A shall be required to work on the days Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Cesar Chavez Day, and Juneteenth National Independence Day are observed but shall (i) receive one hour of administrative leave for every hour worked, which shall be used within 30 ITEM 9.2 – Attachment B
R 26-XX 2 XX-XX-2026
calendar days of the date earned, if exempt, or (ii) receive 1.5 times pay for every such hour required to work, if non-exempt. Upon separation from the City, full-time employees shall be compensated for the balance of their accrued administrative leave time.

Except for the City Manager, full-time employees who are required by their supervisor to work on any City-observed holiday, with such requirement made in writing, shall (i) receive one hour of administrative leave for every hour worked, which shall be used within 30 calendar days of the date earned, if exempt, or (ii) receive 1.5 times pay for every such hour required to work, if non-exempt. Upon separation from the City, full-time employees shall be compensated for the balance of their accrued administrative leave time.

B. Floating Holidays: The City shall provide each full-time employee with two floating holidays per calendar year, equivalent to 16 hours of pay credited the first pay period of each calendar year. Floating holidays are not accrued on a pro-rata basis throughout the calendar year. Full-time employees must be in paid status on regularly scheduled workdays before and after using floating holiday time. Floating holiday time shall be used in increments of eight hours.

Full-time employees may maintain a balance of no more than 16 hours of unused floating holiday time (Floating Holiday Accrual Limit) and shall not accrue additional floating holiday time when the Floating Holiday Accrual Limit has been reached.

Upon separation from the City, full-time employees shall be compensated for the balance of their accrued floating holiday time.

C. Retirement: All City employees, including full-time employees, are required to participate in the Social Security system. In addition, the City shall contract with the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) for retirement benefits for all eligible full-time employees, unless excluded in the City’s agreement with CalPERS. Full-time employees considered “classic” by CalPERS shall pay the 7% employee contribution pursuant to the terms of Resolution No. 12-18. Full-time employees considered “new members” by CalPERS shall pay the employee contribution rate established by CalPERS, as may change from time to time. The CalPERS plans have the following additional Class 1 Benefit Provisions: One Year Final Compensation (FAC 1) (classic employees only) and Increased Industrial Disability Retirement (IDR) Allowance to 75% of Compensation (75% IDR) (all employees).

D. Retiree Medical: As required by, and in an amount established by California Government Code Section 22892, the City shall contribute toward CalPERS retiree health insurance for retiring full-time employees who meet the applicable statutory and CalPERS contract requirements to obtain CalPERS retiree medical benefits.

Part-time service for employees who transition from part-time to full-time ITEM 9.2 – Attachment B
R 26-XX 3 XX-XX-2026
employment with the City may be used to meet applicable statutory and CalPERS contract requirements, with each 174 hours counting as one month.

E. Monthly Benefit Allowance: The City shall provide each full-time employee with a monthly benefit allowance of $1,500.00 per month. A portion of the allowance shall be allocated to pay for health insurance, as provided in this resolution. The remaining balance of the monthly benefit allowance may be allocated by the employee to elect benefits available through the City’s Internal Revenue Code Section 125 Flexible Benefits Plan, in accordance with applicable plan documents.

Any amount of the monthly benefit allowance that remains after the allocations described above shall be forfeited. Full-time employees shall be required to make elections for the annual calendar year use of the entirety of monthly benefit allowances during an enrollment/election period established by the City Manager, as may change from time to time. Modifications of annual calendar year elections following any enrollment/election period shall be limited to qualifying events as set forth in applicable plan documents.

F. Health Insurance: All employees shall be covered by basic health insurance that qualifies as Minimum Essential Coverage under California law. The City shall contract for health insurance through CalPERS; enrollment in a CalPERS health plan shall be mandatory for all full-time employees unless proof of coverage under a qualifying, alternate non-individual market basic health insurance plan is provided. The cost of enrollment in a CalPERS health plan shall be deducted first from each full-time employee’s monthly benefit allowance and then from salary (if necessary).

G. Flexible Benefits Plan: The City shall contract for the provision of an Internal Revenue Code Section 125 Flexible Benefits Plan; enrollment in the plan shall be voluntary for all full-time employees. Full-time employees may contribute to the plan by electing to allocate a portion of their monthly benefit allowance and/or through a salary reduction at their sole expense.

H. Deferred Compensation Plan: The City shall contract for the provision of an Internal Revenue Code Section 457 Deferred Compensation Plan; enrollment in the plan shall be voluntary for all full-time employees. Full-time employees may contribute to the plan through a pre-tax and/or Roth salary reduction at their sole expense.

I. Paid Time Off: Full-time employees shall accrue 160 hours per calendar year of annual paid time off (leave), which may be used for doctors’ appointments, personal and family sick time, bereavement leave, jury duty leave, vacation, and personal business. Hours earned are accrued on a pro-rata basis by pay period.

Full-time employees may maintain a balance of no more than 480 hours of paid time off (Leave Accrual Limit) and shall cease to accrue additional paid time off ITEM 9.2 – Attachment B
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when the Leave Accrual Limit has been reached. When a full-time employee’s balance of paid time off falls below the Leave Accrual Limit, accrual shall resume beginning with the first pay period following the pay period in which the balance of paid time off fell below the Leave Accrual Limit. Upon separation from the City, fulltime employees shall be compensated for the balance of their accrued paid time off.

J. Paid Bereavement Leave: Full-time employees shall be eligible for a total of up to 40 hours per 12-month period of paid bereavement leave in the event of any death in the immediate family or reproductive loss event. For the purpose of this provision, “immediate family” includes spouse, registered domestic partner, mother, stepmother, father, stepfather, brother, stepbrother, sister, stepsister, child, stepchild, grandparent, stepgrandparent, grandchild, and stepgrandchild of the fulltime employee or the full-time employee’s spouse or registered domestic partner.

For the purpose of this provision, “reproductive loss event” shall have the meaning set forth in California Government Code 12945.6.

K. Paid Court Leave: While California Government Code Section 1230 does not require the City to grant full-time employees paid leaves of absence to appear as a witness in court other than as a litigant, to serve on a jury, or to respond to an official order from another governmental jurisdiction for reasons not brought about through the connivance or misconduct of the full-time employee, full-time employees shall be eligible for a total of up to 80 hours per 12-month period of paid court leave for those purposes when proof of such obligation is provided and proof of any amounts received for jury and/or witness fees is provided (if applicable). During paid court leave, full-time employees shall (i) be paid the amount of the difference between his/her/their regular earnings and any amounts received for jury and/or witness fees, and (ii) be responsive to the City’s telephone and other communications when not precluded by the purposes for which paid court leave is granted.

L. Educational Assistance: Eligible full-time employees may participate in the Educational Assistance Program set forth in Exhibit B, attached hereto and incorporated by this reference.

SECTION 4. Part-Time Employee Benefits. All employees who are not full-time employees, but who work 20 or more hours per week on a regularly assigned basis, shall be considered “part-time employees” for the purpose of this resolution. Part-time employees shall receive the following benefits:

A. Paid and Unpaid Holidays: The City shall observe the following holidays with parttime employees receiving eight hours of compensation for each weekday on which a holiday is observed: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Cesar Chavez Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth National Independence Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and Friday after ITEM 9.2 – Attachment B
R 26-XX 5 XX-XX-2026
Thanksgiving. The City shall also observe the following unpaid holidays: Winter Holiday (December 24 through January 1; when December 24 falls on a Tuesday, Winter Holiday shall be observed beginning on December 23; when January 1 falls on a Sunday or Thursday, Winter Holiday shall be observed through January 2).

Except for Winter Holiday, which is observed on specified dates, when a holiday falls on a Saturday, it shall be observed on the prior Friday; when a holiday falls on a Sunday, it shall be observed on the following Monday.

Part-time employees with the designation “Building Employee” in Exhibit A shall be required to work on the days Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Cesar Chavez Day, and Juneteenth National Independence Day are observed but shall (i) receive one hour of administrative leave for every hour worked, which shall be used within 30 calendar days of the date earned, if exempt, or (ii) receive 1.5 times pay for every such hour required to work, if non-exempt. Upon separation from the City, part-time employees shall be compensated for the balance of their accrued administrative leave time.

Except for the City Manager, part-time employees who are required by their supervisor to work on any City-observed holiday, with such requirement made in writing, shall (i) receive one hour of administrative leave for every hour worked, which shall be used within 30 calendar days of the date earned, if exempt, or (ii) receive 1.5 times pay for every such hour required to work, if non-exempt. Upon separation from the City, part-time employees shall be compensated for the balance of their accrued administrative leave time.

B. Floating Holidays: The City shall provide each part-time employee with two floating holidays per calendar year, equivalent to 16 hours of pay credited the first pay period of each calendar year. Floating holidays are not accrued on a pro-rata basis throughout the calendar year. Part-time employees must be in paid status on regularly scheduled workdays before and after using floating holiday time. Floating holiday time shall be used in increments of eight hours and only between December 24 and 31.

Part-time employees may maintain a balance of no more than 16 hours of unused floating holiday time (Floating Holiday Accrual Limit) and shall not accrue additional floating holiday time when the Floating Holiday Accrual Limit has been reached.

Upon separation from the City, part-time employees shall be compensated for the balance of their accrued floating holiday time. The use of floating holiday time need not correspond to a part-time employee’s hours regularly worked.

C. Retirement: All City employees, including part-time employees, are required to participate in the Social Security system. Part-time employees who work 1,000 hours or more in a fiscal year, shall be eligible for membership in CalPERS for retirement benefits, unless excluded in the City’s agreement with CalPERS. Eligible ITEM 9.2 – Attachment B
R 26-XX 6 XX-XX-2026
part-time employees considered “classic” by CalPERS shall pay the 7% employee contribution pursuant to the terms of Resolution No. 12-18. Eligible part-time employees considered “new members” by CalPERS shall pay the employee contribution rate established by CalPERS, as may change from time to time. The CalPERS plans have the following additional Class 1 Benefit Provisions: One Year Final Compensation (FAC 1) (classic employees only) and Increased Industrial Disability Retirement (IDR) Allowance to 75% of Compensation (75% IDR) (all employees).

D. Retiree Medical: As required by, and in an amount established by California Government Code Section 22892, the City shall contribute toward CalPERS retiree health insurance for retiring full-time employees who meet the applicable statutory and CalPERS contract requirements to obtain CalPERS retiree medical benefits.

Part-time service for employees who transition from part-time to full-time employment with the City may be used to meet applicable statutory and CalPERS contract requirements, with each 174 hours counting as one month.

E. Monthly Benefit Allowance: The City shall provide part-time employees with a monthly benefit allowance of $1,200.00 per month. A portion of the allowance shall be allocated to pay for health insurance, as provided in this resolution. The remaining balance of the monthly benefit allowance may be allocated by the employee to elect benefits available through the City’s Internal Revenue Code Section 125 Flexible Benefits Plan, in accordance with applicable plan documents.

Any amount of the monthly benefit allowance that remains after the allocations described above shall be forfeited. Part-time employees shall be required to make elections for the annual calendar year use of the entirety of monthly benefit allowances during an enrollment/election period established by the City Manager, as may change from time to time. Modifications of annual calendar year elections following any enrollment/election period shall be limited to qualifying events as set forth in applicable plan documents.

F. Health Insurance: All employees shall be covered by basic health insurance that qualifies as Minimum Essential Coverage under California law. The City shall contract for health insurance through CalPERS; enrollment in a CalPERS health plan shall be mandatory for all part-time employees unless proof of coverage under a qualifying, alternate non-individual market basic health insurance plan is provided. The cost of enrollment in a CalPERS health plan shall be deducted first from each part-time employee’s monthly benefit allowance and then from salary (if necessary).

G. Flexible Benefits Plan: The City shall contract for the provision of an Internal Revenue Code Section 125 Flexible Benefits Plan; enrollment in the plan shall be voluntary for all part-time employees. Part-time employees may contribute to the plan through a salary reduction at their sole expense and/or by electing to allocate a ITEM 9.2 – Attachment B
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portion of their monthly benefit allowance, if provided.

H. Deferred Compensation Plan: The City shall contract for the provision of an Internal Revenue Code Section 457 Deferred Compensation Plan; enrollment in the plan shall be voluntary for all part-time employees. Part-time employees may contribute to the plan through a pre-tax and/or Roth salary reduction at their sole expense.

I. Paid Time Off: Part-time employees shall accrue 160 hours per calendar year of annual paid time off (leave), which shall be pro-rated based on the number of hours regularly worked less than 40 hours per week. Paid time off may be used for doctors’ appointments, personal and family sick time, bereavement leave, jury duty leave, vacation, and personal business. Paid time off may also be used up to the number of hours regularly worked during unpaid holidays that fall on weekdays (less any floating holiday time used). Hours earned are accrued on a pro-rata basis by pay period.

Part-time employees may maintain a balance of no more than 300 hours of paid time off (Leave Accrual Limit) and shall cease to accrue additional paid time off when the Leave Accrual Limit has been reached. When a part-time employee’s balance of paid time off falls below the Leave Accrual Limit, accrual shall resume beginning with the first pay period following the pay period in which the balance of paid time off fell below the Leave Accrual Limit. Upon separation from the City, part-time employees shall be compensated for the balance of their accrued paid time off.

J. Paid Bereavement Leave: Part-time employees shall be eligible for a total of up to 40 hours per 12-month period of paid bereavement leave in the event of any death in the immediate family or reproductive loss event. For the purpose of this provision, “immediate family” includes spouse, registered domestic partner, mother, stepmother, father, stepfather, brother, stepbrother, sister, stepsister, child, stepchild, grandparent, stepgrandparent, grandchild, and stepgrandchild of the part-time employee or the part-time employee’s spouse or registered domestic partner. For the purpose of this provision, “reproductive loss event” shall have the meaning set forth in California Government Code 12945.6.

K. Paid Court Leave: While California Government Code Section 1230 does not require the City to grant part-time employees paid leaves of absence to appear as a witness in court other than as a litigant, to serve on a jury, or to respond to an official order from another governmental jurisdiction for reasons not brought about through the connivance or misconduct of the part-time employee, part-time employees shall be eligible for a total of up to 64 hours per 12-month period of paid court leave for those purposes when proof of such obligation is provided and proof of any amounts received for jury and/or witness fees is provided (if applicable). During paid court leave, part-time employees shall (i) be paid the amount of the difference between ITEM 9.2 – Attachment B
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his/her/their regular earnings and any amounts received for jury and/or witness fees, and (ii) be responsive to the City’s telephone and other communications when not precluded by the purposes for which paid court leave is granted.

L. Educational Assistance: Eligible part-time employees may participate in the Educational Assistance Program set forth in Exhibit B, attached hereto and incorporated by this reference.

SECTION 5. Limited Part-Time Employee Benefits. All employees who work less than 20 hours per week on a regularly assigned basis shall be considered “limited parttime employees” for the purpose of this resolution. Limited part-time employees shall receive the following benefits:

A. Retirement: All City employees, including limited part-time employees, are required to participate in the Social Security system.

B. Deferred Compensation Plan: The City shall contract for the provision of an Internal Revenue Code Section 457 Deferred Compensation Plan; enrollment in the plan shall be voluntary for all limited part-time employees. Limited part-time employees may contribute to the plan through a pre-tax and/or Roth salary reduction at their sole expense.

C. Paid Time Off: On the 90th calendar day of employment, and every January 1 thereafter, limited part-time employees shall accrue 40 hours of annual paid time off (leave), which may be used for personal illness, to care for a sick family member, for preventive care or diagnosis, care or treatment of an existing health condition, or for specified purposes if the limited part-time employee is a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Paid time off must be used in a minimum increment of two hours per calendar day. There is no accrual or carryover of paid time off between or across calendar years. Upon termination from the City, limited part-time employees shall not be compensated for the balance of their paid time off. If a limited part-time employee separates from and is rehired by the City within one year, previously accrued and unused paid time off shall be reinstated.

D. Educational Assistance: Eligible limited-time employees with the designation “Building Employee” in Exhibit A may participate in the Educational Assistance Program set forth in Exhibit B, attached hereto and incorporated by this reference.

SECTION 6. Employee Assistance Program. The City shall contract for an employee assistance program to provide voluntary, confidential assistance to employees in working through various life challenges that may adversely affect job performance, health, and personal well-being in order to optimize the City’s success. All full-time, part-time, and limited part-time employees shall be enrolled in the employee assistance program with the cost of enrollment paid by the City.

ITEM 9.2 – Attachment B
R 26-XX 9 XX-XX-2026
SECTION 7. Technology Allowances. The City Manager is authorized to offer technology allowances of either (i) $25.00 per employee per month to employees who are regularly required to use their personal cellular telephone as part of the City’s multi-factor authentication and cyber security protocols, with the exception of the City Manager, or (ii) $79.50 per employee per month to employees who are regularly required to use their personal cellular telephones, personal computers, and/or other personal technology to conduct City business, with the exception of the City Manager. Such technology allowances shall be added to employee compensation and shall be paid in the first pay period of each month, subject to any applicable wage withholding or similar taxes.

Employees must be in paid status on regularly scheduled workdays during the first pay period of each month in order to receive payment.

SECTION 8. Notary Public Stipends. The City Manager is authorized to offer notary public stipends of $100.00 per employee per month to employees who regularly provide notary public and foreign pension acknowledgement services in the course of City business, with the exception of the City Manager. Such notary public stipends shall be added to employee compensation and shall be paid in the first pay period of each month, subject to any applicable wage withholding or similar taxes. Employees must be in paid status on regularly scheduled workdays during the first pay period of each month, and in possession of an active and valid notary public commission from the State of California as of the payroll processing date for the first pay period of each month, in order to receive payment. The City Manager is also authorized to incur and pay, on behalf of the City, costs related to the education and commission of employees who regularly provide notary public services in the course of City business, with the exception of the City Manager.

SECTION 9. Acting Appointments. Employees temporarily assigned to a higher level job classification (based on the comparative starting compensations set forth in Exhibit A) for 14 consecutive calendar days or more shall receive acting status pay equivalent to the starting compensation for the job classification to which they are temporarily assigned, unless their increase in compensation would be less than 10% in which case they shall receive acting status pay equivalent to a 10% increase in compensation. Benefits shall remain unchanged during temporary assignments.

SECTION 10. Unpaid Leave. The City Manager may grant employees other than the City Manager leaves of absence without pay, upon written request of the employee setting forth the reason for the request. The City Manager shall evaluate requests on the basis of need, duration, and work requirements. No employee shall expect that requests will be granted. The City Manager shall respond to the employee’s request in writing. The City Manager has discretion, in accordance with applicable law and regulation, to grant less than the full amount of leave requested. Any unpaid leave of absence lasting more than seven consecutive calendar days shall preclude the employee from accruing paid time off and floating holidays, and from receiving holiday pay, after the seventh consecutive calendar day until their return to paid status. Upon expiration of an approved unpaid leave of absence and at the City Manager’s sole discretion, unless otherwise required by law or ITEM 9.2 – Attachment B
R 26-XX 10 XX-XX-2026
regulation, the employee shall be reinstated in the position held at the time leave was granted, assuming the position still exists. An employee who fails to report to duty promptly at expiration of an approved unpaid leave of absence shall be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination and/or subject to separation due to job abandonment.

SECTION 11. City Manager’s Compensation and Benefits. The City Manager shall receive such other compensation and benefits as set forth in the employment agreement separately approved by the City Council on May 17, 2023 and as may be subsequently amended.

SECTION 12. The Mayor shall sign this resolution and the City Clerk shall attest and certify to the passage and adoption thereof.

PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED this XX day of XX 2026.
_____________________________________
ANNIE MCCARY, Mayor
ATTEST:
_____________________________________
YOLIE TRIPPY, CMC, City Clerk

STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
COUNTY OF ORANGE ) ss.

CITY OF LAGUNA WOODS )
I, YOLIE TRIPPY, City Clerk of the City of Laguna Woods, do HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing Resolution No. 26-XX was duly adopted by the City Council of the City of Laguna Woods at a regular meeting thereof, held on the XX day of XX 2026, by the following vote:

AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS:

NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS:

ABSTAIN: COUNCILMEMBERS:

ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS:
_______________________________________
YOLIE TRIPPY, CMC, City Clerk
ITEM 9.2 – Attachment B
R 26-XX 11 XX-XX-2026

EXHIBIT A

COMPENSATION SCHEDULE
Exempt Full-Time Employees (Annual Equivalent)
Administrative Services Director/City Treasurer $139,391.20 – $195,147.68 Assistant to the City Manager $106,988.57 – $149,784.00 Building Official* $132,753.52 – $185,854.93
City Clerk $98,975.00 – $138,565.00
City Manager $229,569.32
Conservation Administrator $89,674.00 – $125,543.60
Deputy City Clerk $76,375.00 – $106,925.00
Management Analyst $80,300.00 – $112,420.00
Planning & Environmental Services Director $139,391.20 – $195,147.68 Public Works Administrator $106,294.29 – $148,812.00
Senior Management Analyst $94,450.00 – $132,230.00
Senior Planner $97,727.14 – $136,818.00
Non-Exempt Full-Time Employees (Hourly Rate)
Accountant $37.29 – $52.21
Accounting Clerk $25.88 – $36.23
Building Inspector* $38.74 – $54.24
Code Enforcement Officer $34.95 – $48.92
Permit Technician* $29.54 – $41.36
Senior Accountant $42.36 – $59.31
Non-Exempt Part-Time/Limited Part-Time Employees (Hourly Rate) Receptionist $23.00 – $31.00
* Designated as “Building Employee”  Designated as a “department head” for the purpose of California Government Code Section 3511.1(d)(2)
ITEM 9.2 – Attachment B
R 26-XX 12 XX-XX-2026

EXHIBIT B

EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
This City of Laguna Woods Educational Assistance Program (Plan) is intended to be a qualified educational assistance program that provides nontaxable Educational Assistance to Eligible Employees of the City of Laguna Woods (Employer) under Internal Revenue Code (Code) Section 127.

I. ELIGIBILITY
A. The Eligible Employees covered under this Plan include thefollowing:
i. Employees currently employed by the Employer;
ii. Employees currently employed by the Employer who are on leave, as for example, in theArmed Forces of the United States; and
B. This Plan includes the following additional conditions for eligibility:
i. Full-time employees are eligible to participate in this Plan beginning on the 183rd day of their employment with the Employer;
ii. Part-time employees are eligible to participate in this Plan beginning on the 183rd day of their employment with the Employer;
iii. Limited part-time employees with the designation “Building Employee” are eligible to participate in this Plan beginning on the 183rd day of their employment with the Employer; and
iv. Other limited part-time employees are not eligible to participate in this Plan.

II. EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE
A. The benefits provided under this Plan consist solely of the types of Educational Assistance specified in Section II.C and are limited to up to $5,250.00 per Eligible Employee per calendar year, based on the Eligible Employee’s length of employment as per the schedule specified in Section II.B below. If an Eligible Employee receives Educational Assistance under this Plan that exceeds $5,250.00 in a calendar year, the excess amount may be subject to federal income tax and applicable federal employment taxes. Notwithstanding the benefits provided under this Plan, the Employer may directly pay for education and/or training for its employees outside of the Plan.

ITEM 9.2 – Attachment B
R 26-XX 13 XX-XX-2026
i. “Educational Assistance” includes the payment by the Employer of expenses incurred by or on behalf of an Eligible Employee for Education of the Eligible Employee or the provision by the Employer of Education to an Eligible Employee. Expenses for Educational Assistance must be approved by the Employer per Section II.D and be job-related. Eligible Employees must provide all documentation under Section III.A in order to receive reimbursement after a course is completed. Eligible expenses for approved courses includes tuition, fees, and similar payments. “Educational Assistance” does not include (a) payment for, or the provision of, tools or supplies (other than required textbooks) that the Eligible Employee may retain after completing a course of instruction; (b) meals, lodging, or transportation; (c) any payment for, or the provision of any benefits with respect to, any course or other Education involving sports, games, or hobbies, unless such Education involves the business of the Employer or is required as part of a degree program; or (d) fees for late registration or for withdrawing from or dropping a course. The types of Educational Assistance covered by this Plan are specified in Section II.C.

B. Eligible Employees will be eligible for Educational Assistance up to the following annual maximums, based on their length of continuous employment with the Employer:
i. 183 calendar days to less than 2 years of employment: Eligible for reimbursement of up to $1,050.00 per calendar year (20% of the annual $5,250.00 limit).
ii. 2 years but less than 6 years of employment: Eligible for reimbursement of up to $2,625.00 per calendar year (50% of the annual $5,250.00 limit). iii. 6 years or more of employment: Eligible for reimbursement of up to $5,250.00 per calendar year (100% of the annual limit).

C. This Plan provides the following types of Educational Assistance:
i. For courses approved by the Employer pursuant to Section II.C below, reimbursement for tuition, fees, and similar payments, to an Eligible Employee; and
ii. The provision, by the Employer, of courses of instruction for an Eligible Employee.

D. Applying for Course Approval:

ITEM 9.2 – Attachment B
R 26-XX 14 XX-XX-2026
i. To receive course approval, an employee must submit a written request in the format required by the Employer. If the Employer approves the course, the Employer will provide a written statement noting the course approval, the expenses that are reimbursable, and the maximum amount of reimbursement that will be provided for the course. Until an employee has received a written course approval, the employee should consider a course unapproved, regardless of any discussions that the employee may have had with any representative of the Employer regarding the course. ii. An employee may submit a course approval request before a course begins or while the course is ongoing. If an employee elects to sign up for a course before obtaining course approval, however, there is no assurance that the course will be approved for reimbursement. If the employee’s decision to take a course is dependent on a particular amount of reimbursement being available under this Plan, the employee should make sure to obtain course approval before registering. To ensure that course approval is determined in time, course approval requests for advanced approval should be submitted at least 15 business days before the registration deadline for the course. iii. No course will be considered for approval if a course approval request is submitted after the course ends.
iv. In addition to course approval, Eligible Employees must provide all of the information under Section III.A in order to receive reimbursement.

E. The annual limit specified in Section II.B applies to amounts paid and expenses incurred by the Eligible Employee during a calendar year. For courses that span multiple calendar years, the reimbursable expenses will be allocated proportionally between the years based on course length, credits, or other reasonable method determined by the Employer to determine when expenses are treated as incurred for purposes of applying each year’s annual reimbursement limit. If an Eligible Employee seeks reimbursement for expenses incurred, the expenses must not have been incurred prior to employment. “Unused” amounts of the annual limit cannot be carried forward to subsequent years.

III. CLAIM REIMBURSEMENT
A. To obtain reimbursement for a course, which will be paid after the course is completed provided all requirements of the Plan are met, the following must be submitted to the Employer within 30 calendar days after course completion:
i. a signed and fully completed benefits request in the form required by the Employer;
ITEM 9.2 – Attachment B
R 26-XX 15 XX-XX-2026
ii. a copy of the course approval request already submitted and approved by the Employer;
iii. for courses that are graded, documentation showing completion of the course with a grade equivalent of "C" or better (or a pass for a course that is graded on a pass/fail basis); and
iv. documentation substantiating any course-related expenses for tuition, fees, or similar expenses required for the course that were incurred or paid by the employee and for which reimbursement is sought.

B. Courses that are dropped, withdrawn from, or completed with a grade equivalent to "C-" or less will not be eligible for reimbursement, and employees will be responsible for any associated penalties or fees.

IV. EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT
This Plan provides Educational Assistance for the exclusive benefit of Eligible Employees.

Spouses and dependents of an Eligible Employee may not participate in this Plan, unless the spouse or dependent is also an Eligible Employee.

V. SUBSTANTIATION
An Eligible Employee receiving payments under this Plan must provide substantiation to the Employer of expenses incurred.

VI. NON-DISCRIMINATION
A. This Plan shall not discriminate in favor highly compensated employees (as defined in section 414(q) of the Code) of the Employer.

B. This Plan shall not be considered discriminatory under Treasury Regulation § 1.127- 2(e) merely because: (a) Different types of Educational Assistance available under the Plan are utilized to a greater degree by Eligible Employees with respect to whom discrimination is prohibited than by other Eligible Employees, or (b) Conditions are required or considered in determining the availability of benefits with respect to a course of study for which benefits are otherwise available, including, but not limited to, successful completion of the course or attaining a particular coursegrade.

VII. NOTICE
The Employer shall provide each Eligible Employee with reasonable notice of the availability and terms of this Plan. This Plan shall be made available for review by Eligible ITEM 9.2 – Attachment B
R 26-XX 16 XX-XX-2026
Employees on the Employer’s Human Resources website. An Eligible Employee shall receive a paper copy of this Plan upon written request.

VIII. FUNDING
The Employer will pay Educational Assistance benefits from its general assets. Employees are not required or permitted to contribute to the Plan.

IX. MISCELLANEOUS
The Employer may amend or terminate this Plan at any time, provided that any amendment or termination shall not affect the right of Eligible Employees to claim Education Assistance for courses in which they enrolled and which were approved by the Employer for reimbursement prior to such amendment or termination.

The City Manager or their designee shall have the authority to interpret and administer this Plan, except as may pertain to their own use of this Plan in which case the City Manager (in case of a designee thereof) or the Mayor (in case of the City Manager) shall have the authority to interpret and administer this Plan. In the event of ambiguity, inconsistency, or uncertainty in the application of any provision, the City Manager or their designee (or City Council in case of the City Manager) is authorized to make final determinations, which shall be binding and not subject to further review.

This Plan shall be construed and enforced according to the laws ofthe State of California, to the extent not preempted by federallaw.

X. EFFECTIVE DATE
This Plan is effective as of February 18, 2026.

ITEM 9.2 – Attachment C
R 26-XX 1 XX-XX-2026

CITY OF LAGUNA WOODS
RESOLUTION NO. 26-XX

A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LAGUNA WOODS, CALIFORNIA, REPEALING RESOLUTION NO. 25-2731, AND ESTABLISHING AND

MODIFYING A COMPENSATION SCHEDULE AND BENEFITS FOR CITY EMPLOYEES,

INCLUDING THE CITY MANAGER AND OTHER LOCAL AGENCY EXECUTIVES AS DEFINED IN CALIFORNIA GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 3511.1

THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LAGUNA WOODS, CALIFORNIA DOES HEREBY RESOLVE, DECLARE, DETERMINE AND ORDER AS FOLLOWS:

SECTION 1. Resolution No. 25-27 31 is hereby repealed. The effective date of this resolution is September 20, 2025February 18, 2026.

SECTION 2. Compensation Schedule. The compensation schedule for City employees is established as set forth in Exhibit A, attached hereto and incorporated by this reference.

The City Manager is authorized to hire, promote, and compensate employees within established compensation ranges, to offer benefits, to fill any full-time position as a parttime or limited part-time position, and to hire employees for time-limited periods, consistent with City Council-adopted budgets and this resolution.

SECTION 3. Full-Time Employee Benefits. All employees who work 40 or more hours per week on a regularly assigned basis shall be considered “full-time employees” for the purpose of this resolution. Full-time employees shall receive the following benefits:

A. Paid Holidays: The City shall observe the following holidays with full-time employees receiving eight hours of compensation for each weekday on which a holiday is observed: Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Cesar Chavez Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth National Independence Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, Friday after Thanksgiving, and Winter Holiday (December 24 through January 1; when December 24 falls on a Tuesday, Winter Holiday shall be observed beginning on December 23; when January 1 falls on a Sunday or Thursday, Winter Holiday shall be observed through January 2). Except for Winter Holiday, which is observed on specified dates, when a holiday falls on a Saturday, it shall be observed the on prior Friday; when a holiday falls on a Sunday, it shall be observed on the following Monday.

Full-time employees with the designation “Building Employee” in Exhibit A shall be required to work on the days Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Cesar Chavez Day, and Juneteenth National Independence Day are observed but shall (i) receive one hour of administrative leave for every hour worked, which shall be used within 30 ITEM 9.2 – Attachment C
R 26-XX 2 XX-XX-2026
calendar days of the date earned, if exempt, or (ii) receive 1.5 times pay for every such hour required to work, if non-exempt. Upon separation from the City, full-time employees shall be compensated for the balance of their accrued administrative leave time.

Except for the City Manager, full-time employees who are required by their supervisor to work on any City-observed holiday, with such requirement made in writing, shall (i) receive one hour of administrative leave for every hour worked, which shall be used within 30 calendar days of the date earned, if exempt, or (ii) receive 1.5 times pay for every such hour required to work, if non-exempt. Upon separation from the City, full-time employees shall be compensated for the balance of their accrued administrative leave time.

B. Floating Holidays: The City shall provide each full-time employee with two floating holidays per calendar year, equivalent to 16 hours of pay credited the first pay period of each calendar year. Floating holidays are not accrued on a pro-rata basis throughout the calendar year. Full-time employees must be in paid status on regularly scheduled workdays before and after using floating holiday time. Floating holiday time shall be used in increments of eight hours.

Full-time employees may maintain a balance of no more than 16 hours of unused floating holiday time (Floating Holiday Accrual Limit) and shall not accrue additional floating holiday time when the Floating Holiday Accrual Limit has been reached.

Upon separation from the City, full-time employees shall be compensated for the balance of their accrued floating holiday time.

C. Retirement: All City employees, including full-time employees, are required to participate in the Social Security system. In addition, the City shall contract with the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) for retirement benefits for all eligible full-time employees, unless excluded in the City’s agreement with CalPERS. Full-time employees considered “classic” by CalPERS shall pay the 7% employee contribution pursuant to the terms of Resolution No. 12-18. Full-time employees considered “new members” by CalPERS shall pay the employee contribution rate established by CalPERS, as may change from time to time. The CalPERS plans have the following additional Class 1 Benefit Provisions: One Year Final Compensation (FAC 1) (classic employees only) and Increased Industrial Disability Retirement (IDR) Allowance to 75% of Compensation (75% IDR) (all employees).

D. Retiree Medical: As required by, and in an amount established by California Government Code Section 22892, the City shall contribute toward CalPERS retiree health insurance for retiring full-time employees who meet the applicable statutory and CalPERS contract requirements to obtain CalPERS retiree medical benefits.

Part-time service for employees who transition from part-time to full-time ITEM 9.2 – Attachment C
R 26-XX 3 XX-XX-2026
employment with the City may be used to meet applicable statutory and CalPERS contract requirements, with each 174 hours counting as one month.

E. Monthly Benefit Allowance: The City shall provide each full-time employee with a monthly benefit allowance of $1,500.00 per month. A portion of the allowance shall be allocated to pay for health insurance, as provided in this resolution. The remaining balance of the monthly benefit allowance may be allocated by the employee to elect benefits available through the City’s Internal Revenue Code Section 125 Flexible Benefits Plan, in accordance with applicable plan documents.

Any amount of the monthly benefit allowance that remains after the allocations described above shall be forfeited. Full-time employees shall be required to make elections for the annual calendar year use of the entirety of monthly benefit allowances during an enrollment/election period established by the City Manager, as may change from time to time. Modifications of annual calendar year elections following any enrollment/election period shall be limited to qualifying events as set forth in applicable plan documents.

F. Health Insurance: All employees shall be covered by basic health insurance that qualifies as Minimum Essential Coverage under California law. The City shall contract for health insurance through CalPERS; enrollment in a CalPERS health plan shall be mandatory for all full-time employees unless proof of coverage under a qualifying, alternate non-individual market basic health insurance plan is provided. The cost of enrollment in a CalPERS health plan shall be deducted first from each full-time employee’s monthly benefit allowance and then from salary (if necessary).

G. Flexible Benefits Plan: The City shall contract for the provision of an Internal Revenue Code Section 125 Flexible Benefits Plan; enrollment in the plan shall be voluntary for all full-time employees. Full-time employees may contribute to the plan by electing to allocate a portion of their monthly benefit allowance and/or through a salary reduction at their sole expense.

H. Deferred Compensation Plan: The City shall contract for the provision of an Internal Revenue Code Section 457 Deferred Compensation Plan; enrollment in the plan shall be voluntary for all full-time employees. Full-time employees may contribute to the plan through a pre-tax and/or Roth salary reduction at their sole expense.

I. Paid Time Off: Full-time employees shall accrue 160 hours per calendar year of annual paid time off (leave), which may be used for doctors’ appointments, personal and family sick time, bereavement leave, jury duty leave, vacation, and personal business. Hours earned are accrued on a pro-rata basis by pay period.

Full-time employees may maintain a balance of no more than 480 hours of paid time off (Leave Accrual Limit) and shall cease to accrue additional paid time off ITEM 9.2 – Attachment C
R 26-XX 4 XX-XX-2026
when the Leave Accrual Limit has been reached. When a full-time employee’s balance of paid time off falls below the Leave Accrual Limit, accrual shall resume beginning with the first pay period following the pay period in which the balance of paid time off fell below the Leave Accrual Limit. Upon separation from the City, fulltime employees shall be compensated for the balance of their accrued paid time off.

J. Paid Bereavement Leave: Full-time employees shall be eligible for a total of up to 40 hours per 12-month period of paid bereavement leave in the event of any death in the immediate family or reproductive loss event. For the purpose of this provision, “immediate family” includes spouse, registered domestic partner, mother, stepmother, father, stepfather, brother, stepbrother, sister, stepsister, child, stepchild, grandparent, stepgrandparent, grandchild, and stepgrandchild of the fulltime employee or the full-time employee’s spouse or registered domestic partner.

For the purpose of this provision, “reproductive loss event” shall have the meaning set forth in California Government Code 12945.6.

K. Paid Court Leave: While California Government Code Section 1230 does not require the City to grant full-time employees paid leaves of absence to appear as a witness in court other than as a litigant, to serve on a jury, or to respond to an official order from another governmental jurisdiction for reasons not brought about through the connivance or misconduct of the full-time employee, full-time employees shall be eligible for a total of up to 80 hours per 12-month period of paid court leave for those purposes when proof of such obligation is provided and proof of any amounts received for jury and/or witness fees is provided (if applicable). During paid court leave, full-time employees shall (i) be paid the amount of the difference between his/her/their regular earnings and any amounts received for jury and/or witness fees, and (ii) be responsive to the City’s telephone and other communications when not precluded by the purposes for which paid court leave is granted.

L. Educational Assistance: Eligible full-time employees may participate in the Educational Assistance Program set forth in Exhibit B, attached hereto and incorporated by this reference.

SECTION 4. Part-Time Employee Benefits. All employees who are not full-time employees, but who work 20 or more hours per week on a regularly assigned basis, shall be considered “part-time employees” for the purpose of this resolution. Part-time employees shall receive the following benefits:

A. Paid and Unpaid Holidays: The City shall observe the following holidays with parttime employees receiving eight hours of compensation for each weekday on which a holiday is observed: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Cesar Chavez Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth National Independence Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and Friday after ITEM 9.2 – Attachment C
R 26-XX 5 XX-XX-2026
Thanksgiving. The City shall also observe the following unpaid holidays: Winter Holiday (December 24 through January 1; when December 24 falls on a Tuesday, Winter Holiday shall be observed beginning on December 23; when January 1 falls on a Sunday or Thursday, Winter Holiday shall be observed through January 2).

Except for Winter Holiday, which is observed on specified dates, when a holiday falls on a Saturday, it shall be observed on the prior Friday; when a holiday falls on a Sunday, it shall be observed on the following Monday.

Part-time employees with the designation “Building Employee” in Exhibit A shall be required to work on the days Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Cesar Chavez Day, and Juneteenth National Independence Day are observed but shall (i) receive one hour of administrative leave for every hour worked, which shall be used within 30 calendar days of the date earned, if exempt, or (ii) receive 1.5 times pay for every such hour required to work, if non-exempt. Upon separation from the City, part-time employees shall be compensated for the balance of their accrued administrative leave time.

Except for the City Manager, part-time employees who are required by their supervisor to work on any City-observed holiday, with such requirement made in writing, shall (i) receive one hour of administrative leave for every hour worked, which shall be used within 30 calendar days of the date earned, if exempt, or (ii) receive 1.5 times pay for every such hour required to work, if non-exempt. Upon separation from the City, part-time employees shall be compensated for the balance of their accrued administrative leave time.

B. Floating Holidays: The City shall provide each part-time employee with two floating holidays per calendar year, equivalent to 16 hours of pay credited the first pay period of each calendar year. Floating holidays are not accrued on a pro-rata basis throughout the calendar year. Part-time employees must be in paid status on regularly scheduled workdays before and after using floating holiday time. Floating holiday time shall be used in increments of eight hours and only between December 24 and 31.

Part-time employees may maintain a balance of no more than 16 hours of unused floating holiday time (Floating Holiday Accrual Limit) and shall not accrue additional floating holiday time when the Floating Holiday Accrual Limit has been reached.

Upon separation from the City, part-time employees shall be compensated for the balance of their accrued floating holiday time. The use of floating holiday time need not correspond to a part-time employee’s hours regularly worked.

C. Retirement: All City employees, including part-time employees, are required to participate in the Social Security system. Part-time employees who work 1,000 hours or more in a fiscal year, shall be eligible for membership in CalPERS for retirement benefits, unless excluded in the City’s agreement with CalPERS. Eligible ITEM 9.2 – Attachment C
R 26-XX 6 XX-XX-2026
part-time employees considered “classic” by CalPERS shall pay the 7% employee contribution pursuant to the terms of Resolution No. 12-18. Eligible part-time employees considered “new members” by CalPERS shall pay the employee contribution rate established by CalPERS, as may change from time to time. The CalPERS plans have the following additional Class 1 Benefit Provisions: One Year Final Compensation (FAC 1) (classic employees only) and Increased Industrial Disability Retirement (IDR) Allowance to 75% of Compensation (75% IDR) (all employees).

D. Retiree Medical: As required by, and in an amount established by California Government Code Section 22892, the City shall contribute toward CalPERS retiree health insurance for retiring full-time employees who meet the applicable statutory and CalPERS contract requirements to obtain CalPERS retiree medical benefits.

Part-time service for employees who transition from part-time to full-time employment with the City may be used to meet applicable statutory and CalPERS contract requirements, with each 174 hours counting as one month.

E. Monthly Benefit Allowance: The City shall provide part-time employees with a monthly benefit allowance of $1,200.00 per month. A portion of the allowance shall be allocated to pay for health insurance, as provided in this resolution. The remaining balance of the monthly benefit allowance may be allocated by the employee to elect benefits available through the City’s Internal Revenue Code Section 125 Flexible Benefits Plan, in accordance with applicable plan documents.

Any amount of the monthly benefit allowance that remains after the allocations described above shall be forfeited. Part-time employees shall be required to make elections for the annual calendar year use of the entirety of monthly benefit allowances during an enrollment/election period established by the City Manager, as may change from time to time. Modifications of annual calendar year elections following any enrollment/election period shall be limited to qualifying events as set forth in applicable plan documents.

F. Health Insurance: All employees shall be covered by basic health insurance that qualifies as Minimum Essential Coverage under California law. The City shall contract for health insurance through CalPERS; enrollment in a CalPERS health plan shall be mandatory for all part-time employees unless proof of coverage under a qualifying, alternate non-individual market basic health insurance plan is provided. The cost of enrollment in a CalPERS health plan shall be deducted first from each part-time employee’s monthly benefit allowance and then from salary (if necessary).

G. Flexible Benefits Plan: The City shall contract for the provision of an Internal Revenue Code Section 125 Flexible Benefits Plan; enrollment in the plan shall be voluntary for all part-time employees. Part-time employees may contribute to the plan through a salary reduction at their sole expense and/or by electing to allocate a ITEM 9.2 – Attachment C
R 26-XX 7 XX-XX-2026
portion of their monthly benefit allowance, if provided.

H. Deferred Compensation Plan: The City shall contract for the provision of an Internal Revenue Code Section 457 Deferred Compensation Plan; enrollment in the plan shall be voluntary for all part-time employees. Part-time employees may contribute to the plan through a pre-tax and/or Roth salary reduction at their sole expense.

I. Paid Time Off: Part-time employees shall accrue 160 hours per calendar year of annual paid time off (leave), which shall be pro-rated based on the number of hours regularly worked less than 40 hours per week. Paid time off may be used for doctors’ appointments, personal and family sick time, bereavement leave, jury duty leave, vacation, and personal business. Paid time off may also be used up to the number of hours regularly worked during unpaid holidays that fall on weekdays (less any floating holiday time used). Hours earned are accrued on a pro-rata basis by pay period.

Part-time employees may maintain a balance of no more than 300 hours of paid time off (Leave Accrual Limit) and shall cease to accrue additional paid time off when the Leave Accrual Limit has been reached. When a part-time employee’s balance of paid time off falls below the Leave Accrual Limit, accrual shall resume beginning with the first pay period following the pay period in which the balance of paid time off fell below the Leave Accrual Limit. Upon separation from the City, part-time employees shall be compensated for the balance of their accrued paid time off.

J. Paid Bereavement Leave: Part-time employees shall be eligible for a total of up to 40 hours per 12-month period of paid bereavement leave in the event of any death in the immediate family or reproductive loss event. For the purpose of this provision, “immediate family” includes spouse, registered domestic partner, mother, stepmother, father, stepfather, brother, stepbrother, sister, stepsister, child, stepchild, grandparent, stepgrandparent, grandchild, and stepgrandchild of the part-time employee or the part-time employee’s spouse or registered domestic partner. For the purpose of this provision, “reproductive loss event” shall have the meaning set forth in California Government Code 12945.6.

K. Paid Court Leave: While California Government Code Section 1230 does not require the City to grant part-time employees paid leaves of absence to appear as a witness in court other than as a litigant, to serve on a jury, or to respond to an official order from another governmental jurisdiction for reasons not brought about through the connivance or misconduct of the part-time employee, part-time employees shall be eligible for a total of up to 64 hours per 12-month period of paid court leave for those purposes when proof of such obligation is provided and proof of any amounts received for jury and/or witness fees is provided (if applicable). During paid court leave, part-time employees shall (i) be paid the amount of the difference between ITEM 9.2 – Attachment C
R 26-XX 8 XX-XX-2026
his/her/their regular earnings and any amounts received for jury and/or witness fees, and (ii) be responsive to the City’s telephone and other communications when not precluded by the purposes for which paid court leave is granted.

L. Educational Assistance: Eligible part-time employees may participate in the Educational Assistance Program set forth in Exhibit B, attached hereto and incorporated by this reference.

SECTION 5. Limited Part-Time Employee Benefits. All employees who work less than 20 hours per week on a regularly assigned basis shall be considered “limited parttime employees” for the purpose of this resolution. Limited part-time employees shall receive the following benefits:

A. Retirement: All City employees, including limited part-time employees, are required to participate in the Social Security system.

B. Deferred Compensation Plan: The City shall contract for the provision of an Internal Revenue Code Section 457 Deferred Compensation Plan; enrollment in the plan shall be voluntary for all limited part-time employees. Limited part-time employees may contribute to the plan through a pre-tax and/or Roth salary reduction at their sole expense.

C. Paid Time Off: On the 90th calendar day of employment, and every January 1 thereafter, limited part-time employees shall accrue 40 hours of annual paid time off (leave), which may be used for personal illness, to care for a sick family member, for preventive care or diagnosis, care or treatment of an existing health condition, or for specified purposes if the limited part-time employee is a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Paid time off must be used in a minimum increment of two hours per calendar day. There is no accrual or carryover of paid time off between or across calendar years. Upon termination from the City, limited part-time employees shall not be compensated for the balance of their paid time off. If a limited part-time employee separates from and is rehired by the City within one year, previously accrued and unused paid time off shall be reinstated.

D. Educational Assistance: Eligible limited-time employees with the designation “Building Employee” in Exhibit A may participate in the Educational Assistance Program set forth in Exhibit B, attached hereto and incorporated by this reference.

SECTION 6. Employee Assistance Program. The City shall contract for an employee assistance program to provide voluntary, confidential assistance to employees in working through various life challenges that may adversely affect job performance, health, and personal well-being in order to optimize the City’s success. All full-time, part-time, and limited part-time employees shall be enrolled in the employee assistance program with the cost of enrollment paid by the City.

ITEM 9.2 – Attachment C
R 26-XX 9 XX-XX-2026
SECTION 7. Technology Allowances. The City Manager is authorized to offer technology allowances of either (i) $25.00 per employee per month to employees who are regularly required to use their personal cellular telephone as part of the City’s multi-factor authentication and cyber security protocols, with the exception of the City Manager, or (ii) $79.50 per employee per month to employees who are regularly required to use their personal cellular telephones, personal computers, and/or other personal technology to conduct City business, with the exception of the City Manager. Such technology allowances shall be added to employee compensation and shall be paid in the first pay period of each month, subject to any applicable wage withholding or similar taxes.

Employees must be in paid status on regularly scheduled workdays during the first pay period of each month in order to receive payment.

SECTION 8. Notary Public Stipends. The City Manager is authorized to offer notary public stipends of $100.00 per employee per month to employees who regularly provide notary public and foreign pension acknowledgement services in the course of City business, with the exception of the City Manager. Such notary public stipends shall be added to employee compensation and shall be paid in the first pay period of each month, subject to any applicable wage withholding or similar taxes. Employees must be in paid status on regularly scheduled workdays during the first pay period of each month, and in possession of an active and valid notary public commission from the State of California as of the payroll processing date for the first pay period of each month, in order to receive payment. The City Manager is also authorized to incur and pay, on behalf of the City, costs related to the education and commission of employees who regularly provide notary public services in the course of City business, with the exception of the City Manager.

SECTION 9. Acting Appointments. Employees temporarily assigned to a higher level job classification (based on the comparative starting compensations set forth in Exhibit A) for 14 consecutive calendar days or more shall receive acting status pay equivalent to the starting compensation for the job classification to which they are temporarily assigned, unless their increase in compensation would be less than 10% in which case they shall receive acting status pay equivalent to a 10% increase in compensation. Benefits shall remain unchanged during temporary assignments.

SECTION 10. Unpaid Leave. The City Manager may grant employees other than the City Manager leaves of absence without pay, upon written request of the employee setting forth the reason for the request. The City Manager shall evaluate requests on the basis of need, duration, and work requirements. No employee shall expect that requests will be granted. The City Manager shall respond to the employee’s request in writing. The City Manager has discretion, in accordance with applicable law and regulation, to grant less than the full amount of leave requested. Any unpaid leave of absence lasting more than seven consecutive calendar days shall preclude the employee from accruing paid time off and floating holidays, and from receiving holiday pay, after the seventh consecutive calendar day until their return to paid status. Upon expiration of an approved unpaid leave of absence and at the City Manager’s sole discretion, unless otherwise required by law or ITEM 9.2 – Attachment C
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regulation, the employee shall be reinstated in the position held at the time leave was granted, assuming the position still exists. An employee who fails to report to duty promptly at expiration of an approved unpaid leave of absence shall be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination and/or subject to separation due to job abandonment.

SECTION 11. City Manager’s Compensation and Benefits. The City Manager shall receive such other compensation and benefits as set forth in the employment agreement separately approved by the City Council on May 17, 2023 and as may be subsequently amended.

SECTION 12. The Mayor shall sign this resolution and the City Clerk shall attest and certify to the passage and adoption thereof.

PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED this XX day of XX 2026.
_____________________________________
ANNIE MCCARY, Mayor
ATTEST:
_____________________________________
YOLIE TRIPPY, CMC, City Clerk

STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
COUNTY OF ORANGE ) ss.

CITY OF LAGUNA WOODS )
I, YOLIE TRIPPY, City Clerk of the City of Laguna Woods, do HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing Resolution No. 26-XX was duly adopted by the City Council of the City of Laguna Woods at a regular meeting thereof, held on the XX day of XX 2026, by the following vote:

AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS:

NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS:

ABSTAIN: COUNCILMEMBERS:

ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS:
_______________________________________
YOLIE TRIPPY, CMC, City Clerk
ITEM 9.2 – Attachment C
R 26-XX 11 XX-XX-2026

EXHIBIT A

COMPENSATION SCHEDULE
Exempt Full-Time Employees (Annual Equivalent)
Administrative Services Director/City Treasurer $134,030.00139,391.20 – $187,642.00195,147.68
Assistant to the City Manager $103,090.00106,988.57 –
$144,326.00149,784.00
Building Official* $127,320.00132,753.52 –
$178,248.00185,854.93
City Clerk $98,975.00 – $138,565.00
City Manager $225,067.96 (Existing)
$229,569.32 (Effective 12/13/25)
Conservation Administrator $89,674.00 – $125,543.60
Deputy City Clerk $76,375.00 – $106,925.00
Management Analyst $80,300.00 – $112,420.00
Planning & Environmental Services Director $134,030.00139,391.20 – $187,642.00195,147.68
Public Works Administrator $96,252.00106,294.29 –
$134,752.80148,812.00
Senior Management Analyst $94,450.00 – $132,230.00
Senior Planner $89,918.4097,727.14 –
$125,881.60136,818.00
Non-Exempt Full-Time Employees (Hourly Rate)
Accountant $35.4537.29 – $49.6352.21
Accounting Clerk $25.2725.88 – $35.3836.23
Building Inspector* $38.74 – $54.24
Code Enforcement Officer $34.95 – $48.92
Permit Technician* $29.54 – $41.36
Senior Accountant $38.9142.36 – $54.4759.31
Non-Exempt Part-Time/Limited Part-Time Employees (Hourly Rate) Receptionist $20.0023.00 – $28.0031.00
* Designated as “Building Employee”

Designated as a “department head” for the purpose of California Government Code Section 3511.1(d)(2)
ITEM 9.2 – Attachment C
R 26-XX 12 XX-XX-2026

EXHIBIT B

EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
This City of Laguna Woods Educational Assistance Program (Plan) is intended to be a qualified educational assistance program that provides nontaxable Educational Assistance to Eligible Employees of the City of Laguna Woods (Employer) under Internal Revenue Code (Code) Section 127.

I. ELIGIBILITY
A. The Eligible Employees covered under this Plan include the following:
i. Employees currently employed by the Employer;
ii. Employees currently employed by the Employer who are on leave, as for example, in the Armed Forces of the United States; and
B. This Plan includes the following additional conditions for eligibility:
i. Full-time employees are eligible to participate in this Plan beginning on the 183rd day of their employment with the Employer;
ii. Part-time employees are eligible to participate in this Plan beginning on the 183rd day of their employment with the Employer;
iii. Limited part-time employees with the designation “Building Employee” are eligible to participate in this Plan beginning on the 183rd day of their employment with the Employer; and
iv. Other limited part-time employees are not eligible to participate in this Plan.

II. EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE
A. The benefits provided under this Plan consist solely of the types of Educational Assistance specified in Section II.C and are limited to up to $5,250.00 per Eligible ITEM 9.2 – Attachment C
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Employee per calendar year, based on the Eligible Employee’s length of employment as per the schedule specified in Section II.B below. If an Eligible Employee receives Educational Assistance under this Plan that exceeds $5,250.00 in a calendar year, the excess amount may be subject to federal income tax and applicable federal employment taxes. Notwithstanding the benefits provided under this Plan, the Employer may directly pay for education and/or training for its employees outside of the Plan.
i. “Educational Assistance” includes the payment by the Employer of expenses incurred by or on behalf of an Eligible Employee for Education of the Eligible Employee or the provision by the Employer of Education to an Eligible Employee. Expenses for Educational Assistance must be approved by the Employer per Section II.D and be job-related. Eligible Employees must provide all documentation under Section III.A in order to receive reimbursement after a course is completed. Eligible expenses for approved courses includes tuition, fees, and similar payments. “Educational Assistance” does not include (a) payment for, or the provision of, tools or supplies (other than required textbooks) that the Eligible Employee may retain after completing a course of instruction; (b) meals, lodging, or transportation; (c) any payment for, or the provision of any benefits with respect to, any course or other Education involving sports, games, or hobbies, unless such Education involves the business of the Employer or is required as part of a degree program; or (d) fees for late registration or for withdrawing from or dropping a course. The types of Educational Assistance covered by this Plan are specified in Section II.C.

B. Eligible Employees will be eligible for Educational Assistance up to the following annual maximums, based on their length of continuous employment with the Employer:
i. 183 calendar days to less than 2 years of employment: Eligible for reimbursement of up to $1,050.00 per calendar year (20% of the annual $5,250.00 limit).
ii. 2 years but less than 6 years of employment: Eligible for reimbursement of up to $2,625.00 per calendar year (50% of the annual $5,250.00 limit). iii. 6 years or more of employment: Eligible for reimbursement of up to $5,250.00 per calendar year (100% of the annual limit).

C. This Plan provides the following types of Educational Assistance:
i. For courses approved by the Employer pursuant to Section II.C below, ITEM 9.2 – Attachment C
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reimbursement for tuition, fees, and similar payments, to an Eligible Employee; and
ii. The provision, by the Employer, of courses of instruction for an Eligible Employee.

D. Applying for Course Approval:
i. To receive course approval, an employee must submit a written request in the format required by the Employer. If the Employer approves the course, the Employer will provide a written statement noting the course approval, the expenses that are reimbursable, and the maximum amount of reimbursement that will be provided for the course. Until an employee has received a written course approval, the employee should consider a course unapproved, regardless of any discussions that the employee may have had with any representative of the Employer regarding the course. ii. An employee may submit a course approval request before a course begins or while the course is ongoing. If an employee elects to sign up for a course before obtaining course approval, however, there is no assurance that the course will be approved for reimbursement. If the employee’s decision to take a course is dependent on a particular amount of reimbursement being available under this Plan, the employee should make sure to obtain course approval before registering. To ensure that course approval is determined in time, course approval requests for advanced approval should be submitted at least 15 business days before the registration deadline for the course. iii. No course will be considered for approval if a course approval request is submitted after the course ends.
iv. In addition to course approval, Eligible Employees must provide all of the information under Section III.A in order to receive reimbursement.

E. The annual limit specified in Section II.B applies to amounts paid and expenses incurred by the Eligible Employee during a calendar year. For courses that span multiple calendar years, the reimbursable expenses will be allocated proportionally between the years based on course length, credits, or other reasonable method determined by the Employer to determine when expenses are treated as incurred for purposes of applying each year’s annual reimbursement limit. If an Eligible Employee seeks reimbursement for expenses incurred, the expenses must not have been incurred prior to employment. “Unused” amounts of the annual limit cannot be carried forward to subsequent years.

ITEM 9.2 – Attachment C
R 26-XX 15 XX-XX-2026
III. CLAIM REIMBURSEMENT
A. To obtain reimbursement for a course, which will be paid after the course is completed provided all requirements of the Plan are met, the following must be submitted to the Employer within 30 calendar days after course completion:
i. a signed and fully completed benefits request in the form required by the Employer;
ii. a copy of the course approval request already submitted and approved by the Employer;
iii. for courses that are graded, documentation showing completion of the course with a grade equivalent of "C" or better (or a pass for a course that is graded on a pass/fail basis); and
iv. documentation substantiating any course-related expenses for tuition, fees, or similar expenses required for the course that were incurred or paid by the employee and for which reimbursement is sought.

B. Courses that are dropped, withdrawn from, or completed with a grade equivalent to "C-" or less will not be eligible for reimbursement, and employees will be responsible for any associated penalties or fees.

C. Employees who voluntarily leave employment with the Employer or are terminated for cause (as defined by the Employer’s policies) within 12 months of receiving Educational Assistance under the Plan shall be required to repay the amount received within 60 calendar days of separation. Exceptions may be made for involuntary separations not for cause or separations due to extenuating circumstances, at the discretion of the Employer.

IV. EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT
This Plan provides Educational Assistance for the exclusive benefit of Eligible Employees.

Spouses and dependents of an Eligible Employee may not participate in this Plan, unless the spouse or dependent is also an Eligible Employee.

V. SUBSTANTIATION
An Eligible Employee receiving payments under this Plan must provide substantiation to the Employer of expenses incurred.

VI. NON-DISCRIMINATION
ITEM 9.2 – Attachment C
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A. This Plan shall not discriminate in favor highly compensated employees (as defined in section 414(q) of the Code) of the Employer.

B. This Plan shall not be considered discriminatory under Treasury Regulation § 1.127- 2(e) merely because: (a) Different types of Educational Assistance available under the Plan are utilized to a greater degree by Eligible Employees with respect to whom discrimination is prohibited than by other Eligible Employees, or (b) Conditions are required or considered in determining the availability of benefits with respect to a course of study for which benefits are otherwise available, including, but not limited to, successful completion of the course or attaining a particular course grade.

VII. NOTICE
The Employer shall provide each Eligible Employee with reasonable notice of the availability and terms of this Plan. This Plan shall be made available for review by Eligible Employees on the Employer’s Human Resources website. An Eligible Employee shall receive a paper copy of this Plan upon written request.

VIII. FUNDING
The Employer will pay Educational Assistance benefits from its general assets. Employees are not required or permitted to contribute to the Plan.

IX. MISCELLANEOUS
The Employer may amend or terminate this Plan at any time, provided that any amendment or termination shall not affect the right of Eligible Employees to claim Education Assistance for courses in which they enrolled and which were approved by the Employer for reimbursement prior to such amendment or termination.

The City Manager or their designee shall have the authority to interpret and administer this Plan, except as may pertain to their own use of this Plan in which case the City Manager (in case of a designee thereof) or the Mayor (in case of the City Manager) shall have the authority to interpret and administer this Plan. In the event of ambiguity, inconsistency, or uncertainty in the application of any provision, the City Manager or their designee (or City Council in case of the City Manager) is authorized to make final determinations, which shall be binding and not subject to further review.

This Plan shall be construed and enforced according to the laws of the State of California, to the extent not preempted by federal law.

X. EFFECTIVE DATE
This Plan is effective as of July 1, 2025February 18, 2026.