Council directs code change so planning commissioner stipend can be set by resolution

The Loomis Town Council gave staff direction to prepare an ordinance that would amend the Loomis Municipal Code to allow commissioner stipends to be set by council resolution rather than be fixed in code.

Council discussion focused on whether compensation should be paid per meeting or amortized monthly, whether an application process for planning commission appointments should be codified, and the fiscal timing of any stipend increase. Planning Commission Vice Chair Linda Kelly and former commissioner Jane Wilson urged the council to update stipends that have not changed in roughly 20 years; Kelly asked council to consider "half of what you get" as a modest increase to acknowledge commissioners’ time. Wilson noted the stipend’s purchasing power has declined over decades and urged recognition of commissioners’ time spent reviewing complex materials.

Staff recommended preparing an ordinance to change the code and then using a resolution to set compensation; council agreed to that direction and staff said a first reading of the ordinance would come to the next meeting. No stipend amount was adopted tonight; rather, council directed staff to draft code changes and return with a resolution option for council consideration.