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Red Bluff staff propose ordinance to tie elected-official pay to attendance, filings; council requests clearer language
Summary
Council reviewed a draft ordinance that would withhold bimonthly compensation for elected officials who miss meetings, fail to file required forms or skip required trainings; members urged clearer, measurable language and asked staff to revise the draft.
Red Bluff staff presented a draft update to the city compensation ordinance Jan. 20 that would condition bimonthly pay for elected officials on meeting attendance, timely filing of financial reports and completion of state-mandated training.
Staff said the city currently pays council members $950 per month and city clerk and treasurer $300 per month. The draft would change compensation to a bimonthly schedule and allow withholding of that payment when officials fail to meet enumerated duties, such as missing a regular council meeting (in-person or by video) or failing to file required reports within 60 days.
"Staff is proposing to change the city ordinance so that if the council member is absent from a regularly scheduled meeting, neither in person nor via video conferencing, then they would have waived their right to a bimonthly payment," staff said in the briefing.
Public commenters and several council members raised concerns that the draft language could be punitive or subjective. Priscilla Burke, speaking during public comment, said that while punitive language may be appropriate for some cases, the ordinance should allow some flexibility and clear definition of excused absences. "I think there does need to be some type of punitive action," Burke said, but added the language should provide fluidity to address legitimate absences.
Several council members urged staff to define concrete, verifiable deliverables (attendance, filing Form 700, completing required ethics training) rather than broad, subjective duties. City attorney Sophia Meyer and staff said they drafted the proposal to be "black and white" where possible to avoid placing staff in the position of judging excuses; the council reached consensus to have Council Member Chris (as noted in the record) work with staff to refine the draft language and return with a revised ordinance.
Next steps: staff will revise the ordinance language to address council feedback and bring a revised draft back for formal introduction and readings; no ordinance was adopted at this meeting.
