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Shafter council amends ordinance to raise council pay and add health benefits, removes CalPERS retirement authority
Summary
Council introduced Ordinance 764 to align council pay with state law, set a $950 monthly salary beginning December 2026, and add health benefits; the council chose to remove language that would have allowed a future CalPERS retirement amendment, voting 3–1 to strike the CalPERS authority from the ordinance.
The Shafter City Council took action on an ordinance to revise council salary and benefits on March 4, approving an amendment that removes the authority in the code to pursue retirement benefits through CalPERS.
A speaker identified as Carol presented Ordinance 764, which would amend Shafter Municipal Code section 2.4.1.120 to align council compensation with recently enacted Senate Bill 329, set a monthly council salary of $950 to begin in December 2026, and provide health benefits to council members and eligible dependents effective the first day of the month after ordinance adoption. The ordinance also included optional language that would permit pursuing CalPERS membership for elected officials if the council later amended the CalPERS contract.
Council member Prout expressed concerns about treating council positions as full-time and questioned the size of stipend increases; he said he was not in favor of the proposed stipend/retirement changes.
After discussion, the council moved to remove the first sentence of subsection F of the ordinance, which would have preserved future authority to seek retirement benefits through a CalPERS contract amendment. The motion to amend the ordinance passed on a roll-call vote: Prout voted no; Mayor Pro Tem Tim Ola, Council member Espinosa and Mayor Given voted yes.
The amended ordinance, as introduced, increases the monthly salary to $950 effective December 2026 and includes health benefits as described; removal of the CalPERS authority leaves retirement benefits for elected officials subject to a separate, future decision only if the council chooses to reinsert such authority.
