Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Civic Governance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council doubles commissioner meeting stipend to $20, opts for uniform increase
Summary
Council increased the fixed commission meeting stipend from $10 to $20 across all city commissions; the change amends the municipal code and was found exempt from CEQA.
Torrance City Council members voted Jan. 14 to increase the meeting stipend paid to volunteer city commissioners from $10 to $20 per meeting.
Councilmember John Metucci made the motion to amend the municipal code to raise commissioner compensation; the motion was seconded and carried with Councilmembers Kaji and Sheikh voting no. The council also directed that the change be processed as an ordinance amendment and that the item is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act under the cited CEQA guidelines.
City Clerk Rebecca Poyer presented background including a survey of other cities and the city attorney’s recommendation to report stipends on W‑2 forms in keeping with IRS guidance for appointed public officials. Poyer noted that 15 current commissioners had waived their existing $10 stipend. Council members discussed whether to vary the stipend by commission workload; the council ultimately adopted a flat increase across commissions after debate about administrative simplicity and equity.
City staff will return with a municipal‑code amendment (ordinance) to implement the stipend change and with administrative steps needed to comply with payroll reporting requirements.
