From:
To: City Council
Subject: Budget/Salary Increases
Date: Tuesday, November 5, 2024 6:31:14 AM
I am addressing, most particularly, Line item 8 on this evening's City Council meeting: Amendment Number 4 for Contract for City Clerk/Assistant City Manager.
It is grossly unacceptable for a small city that is struggling with health, safety and infrastructure deficits to be approving a base salary plus city benefits increase with a fiscal impact of $46,700.
The City Council members cannot, with integrity, justify budget deficits, higher water and sewer rates, Measure U, and then ask the citizens to give a green light to a 'market adjustment' for a staff position. I am aware that base salaries, city benefits and 'other pay' for Sebastopol city manager positions are not on the low end when compared to cities of our same size and population, i.e. Cotati, Cloverdale as well as bigger cities such as Santa Rosa, Sonoma.
It has been said that timing is everything, and this is not the right time to raise salaries and ask the citizens to make up budget deficits.