STAFF REPORT
TO: Mayor and City Council DATE: March 16, 2023
FROM: Isaiah Hagerman, City Manager
Steve Quintanilla, City Attorney
SUBJECT: City Council Compensation and Benefits Adjustments
SPECIFIC REQUEST OR RECOMMENDATION
That the City Council introduce Ordinance No. 2023-(Next-in-Order), 1st Reading, Amending Section 2.44.010 of the Rancho Mirage Municipal Code to Adjust the Monthly Compensation and Benefits for City Council Members and Mayor.
JUSTIFICATION OR INFORMATION
A subcommittee, which consisted of Council Member Meg Marker and Mayor Pro Tern Steve Downs, was formed to review council member compensation. The subcommittee recommends changing city council member compensation and benefits as described below. Nearly sixteen (16)years ago in 2007, Rancho Mirage Municipal Code Section 2.44.010 (City councilmember monthly compensation) was amended to set the monthly compensation for each council member, with the mayor receiving an additional monthly compensation of $250. Since the council member who rotates into the mayor's position assumes additional duties and responsibilities such as but not limited to presiding over all City Council meetings, serving as official spokesperson for the City Council, calling special meetings, appointing subcommittees of the City Council, attending all official City events on behalf of the City, etc., the City Council believed that in the interest of fairness the level of compensation for the mayor's position should be higher than the other council members.
As a charter city, the City is exempt from the state laws that govern council compensation.
However, the exception is that California Government Code Section 53208.5 provides that health and welfare benefits, such as medical, dental, and life insurance for council members must not exceed the most generous schedule of benefits being received by any category of non safety employees. The Subcommittee proposed adjustments are as follows:
1.Increase council member annual compensation from $31,110 to $35,000.
2.Increase the mayor's annual compensation from $34,112 to $38,500.
3.Extend the Director's monthly $500 car allowance to the council members which eliminates the payment of mileage for traveling related to official City business.
4.Provide a monthly $500 in-lieu stipend to any council member who does not accept the medical coverage that is currently available to council members.
5.Provide a monthly $100 in-lieu stipend to any council member who does not accept a City-paid cell phone.
ATTACHMENT(S):
1.Ordinance Amending Section 2.44.010 (City Councilmember Monthly Compensation) AGENDA ITEM#
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