Council approves city manager salary range, accepts grants and other consent items

The Sacramento City Council on April 20 approved a revised salary range for the city manager recruitment and passed a consent calendar that included multiple items the council said will expand services or preserve local history.

The council approved a salary range of $273,211 to $420,684 annually for the city manager position, a step required so the city can advertise the recruitment. Jennifer Wilkinson of the Human Resources Department said the recommendation came from the CPS HR salary survey and that the Personnel and Public Employee Committee had forwarded the range to council. Government Code section 54953 (oral reporting requirement) was cited during the discussion announcing the recommended compensation range.

Councilmember Jennings moved the salary‑range item; Councilmember Dickinson seconded the motion. On roll call the measure passed with seven yes votes and two members absent. The council clarified that the published range establishes the outer limits for recruitment advertising; final hiring decisions on specific pay within that range will be made later based on candidate qualifications and council action.

Votes at a glance (passed):

- Approval of city manager salary range for recruitment: $273,211–$420,684 (motion: Jennings; second: Dickinson). Vote: 7–0 (2 absent).

- Consent calendar (moved as a block and passed): items discussed during council remarks included: - Acceptance of a California Energy Commission grant to expand electric vehicle charging at neighborhood community centers, with sites identified including the George Sim Community Center at Tahoe Park and Oak Park Community Center. Councilmembers Guerra and Maple praised the grant as expanding access to charging infrastructure in South Sacramento. - Acceptance of a federal “Reconnecting Communities” planning grant to begin a study of Highway 160 and adjacent corridors in North Sacramento. Councilmember Dickinson and others described the grant as a planning‑stage opportunity to explore better pedestrian, bicycle and neighborhood connections between communities and the American River Parkway; public commenters from Woodlake asked the city to ensure sidewalks, parking regulation and pedestrian access are prioritized as development proceeds. - Publication for further review of a proposed historic‑resources action recognizing San Francisco Boulevard as a local historic resource (item passed for publication). - Appointment carried for Measure U (mayoral appointment of Juan Veil noted by council).

The consent calendar passed by roll call: Councilmembers Dickinson, Maple, Mayor Pro Tem Guerra, Jennings, Vang, Vice Mayor Talamontes and Mayor McCarty — yes; Councilmembers Kaplan and Pluckettbaum — absent.

Background and next steps: Wilkinson said the published salary range is required before active recruitment begins; final compensation offers will be set later, within that approved range, based on candidate qualifications. On the Reconnecting Communities planning grant, councilmembers emphasized this is an initial planning award; additional community engagement and subsequent grant rounds will shape any construction or capital work. Public speakers urged that neighborhood‑level impacts — such as sidewalks and parking rules in Woodlake — be addressed early in planning.