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Panel discusses higher pay, benefit opt‑in, evaluations and governance reforms; seeks draft charter language
Summary
Committee members discussed raising council pay (options included $12,000 for council members and $15,000 for mayor), allowing opt‑in benefits rather than automatic benefits, withholding pay until annual evaluations are completed, clarifying clerk reporting to the city manager, and exploring a legal defense fund and fiscal‑impact/clawback provisions.
Committee members debated a package of governance changes that would alter compensation, benefits and oversight for council members and clarify administrative reporting lines.
Patrick Fisher and other members urged raising council compensation to better reflect duties and asked Mr. Rollins to draft ballot language. The numbers discussed included $12,000 per council member and $15,000 for the mayor, with the committee also talking about preserving an annual cost‑of‑living mechanism (capped at 3%).
Members debated whether benefits should remain part of the compensation package or be offered as opt‑in. One member argued for separating salary and benefits so that an elected official who already has health coverage does not receive the cash equivalent of the city's premium; another argued an opt‑in approach be available so officials can buy into group coverage if needed.
A proposal to require elected officials to complete annual performance evaluations and to withhold pay until those evaluations were completed was raised as an accountability measure. Proponents said it would create an enforcement mechanism for duties; opponents warned the approach would be subjective and could lead to low‑quality evaluation forms or gaming.
The committee also discussed administrative clarifications: consensus emerged to explore language that would have the city clerk report to the city manager for day‑to‑day supervision while preserving the clerk's statutory duties to the council, and to study whether the manager should have meaningful input in hiring the clerk. Members discussed home‑rule protection language and the idea of a legal defense fund to help the city defend locally adopted standards; staff said contractual and statutory remedies often already exist but agreed to return with options to enhance transparency and accountability (including fiscal assessments and clawback provisions for incentives that do not meet commitments).
The committee directed staff to prepare draft charter and ordinance options, compensation tables, and sample evaluation language for the next meeting.
