Rohnert Park council directs staff to pursue pay-change ordinance under new state law

The Rohnert Park City Council on Sept. 10 directed staff to prepare an ordinance under Senate Bill 329 that would allow the council to increase member compensation up to the amount permitted by state law.

Sylvia Lopez Cuevas, the city clerk, summarized the law and timeline, saying SB 329 (signed June 29, 2023) was codified into Government Code Section 36515 and allows cities of certain populations to adopt an ordinance raising council pay. She presented the mechanics and a schedule for the three public meetings the city must hold if it moves forward. “You are required to have at least two public meetings,” she said, and staff recommended returning Oct. 8 for introduction and Oct. 22 for second reading and adoption if the council wants to proceed.

City manager Marcela Piedra outlined the timing and payroll implications and provided a staff estimate of the fiscal impact if the council were to adopt the statutory maximum. According to staff, council members currently receive a monthly stipend of roughly $494.06; the ordinance could raise that to as much as $1,275 per month. Piedra told the council that moving to the statutory cap would increase the city’s annual costs by an amount in the range the staff memo provided.

Council members discussed whether the increase should simply mirror the state level or be set at another amount. Several members raised conflict-of-interest concerns: three council members recused themselves from portions of the discussion under the rule of necessity so that a quorum could deliberate on a measure that would affect council pay. Mayor Susan Adams said she supported considering the change as a way to broaden the applicant pool for public office: “I think this is something that we should give consideration to,” she said.

The council did not adopt an ordinance at the Sept. 10 meeting; instead it gave staff direction to prepare the ordinance and hold the required public hearings and notices. Staff said, if adopted on the timetable presented, any new compensation would take effect once newly seated council members begin a term and align with payroll cycles so increases would appear in paychecks beginning in January of the applicable pay period year. Staff also noted that, per state and payroll timing, final checks would typically reflect changes after the new term begins and payroll processing deadlines are met.

Next steps: staff will prepare an ordinance and return with formal language and required notices for the public hearings outlined in the staff timeline.