Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Civic Governance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Fillmore council raises monthly stipend to $950, declines CalPERS benefits
Summary
After a lengthy discussion about attracting and compensating public officials, the Fillmore City Council voted to increase the monthly council stipend to $950 and declined to add CalPERS benefits, citing budget and administrative concerns.
The Fillmore City Council voted Jan. 27 to raise the monthly stipend paid to council members to $950 and discussed, but did not approve, adding CalPERS retirement and full employee benefit packages.
Staff provided comparisons from peer cities and estimated costs of offering health insurance and CalPERS benefits. Staff said a fully loaded package (medical, dental, vision and a stipend increase) would cost roughly $39,468 per council member annually when benefits and retirement are included; the city would also need to amend current employment contracts and submit documentation to CalPERS if it pursued retirement benefits.
Several council members said increasing the stipend would help recognize the work and time commitment of serving on the council while keeping long‑term budget and administrative impacts manageable. "I think whatever we can do monetarily to incentivize a stipend, we should, because it's important to bring quality folks who see that there's a value," one council member said, while others opposed opening the CalPERS process because of cost and administrative complexity.
Council member [motion maker] moved to increase the stipend to $950; the motion was seconded and carried. Council members discussed that the stipend can increase up to 5 percent per year under the adopted schedule and that staff would return with the administrative steps required to implement the increase.
