Manteca’s elected leaders could more than triple the compensation council members receive.
Each Manteca council member currently receives a $600 a month stipend for their services.
Gov. Gavin Newsom in June signed Senate Bill 329 into law addressing the establishment of council salaries for general law cities such as Manteca, Lathrop, Ripon, and Tracy.
The law allows for cities such as Manteca (90,000 residents) to pay council members up to $1,900 a month as part of the state established range for cities between 75,000 and 150,000 residents. The same salary limit would apply to Tracy.
In the case of Lathrop and Ripon since they have under 35,000 residents, they could adjust council compensation up to a limit of $950 a month.
And Lathrop — which is within a 1,000 residents of topping the 35,000 population mark, could in the next few years go as high as $1,275 a month. That is because they would be in the population range of between 35,000 and 50,000.
The Manteca City Council when they meet Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Civic Center, 1001 W. Center St., will discuss the new law.
They also may give staff direction to return at a future meeting with proposed changes to the municipal ordinance governing council compensation.
If the council opts to go to $1.900, that would raise their annual compensation from $7,200 to $22,800.
Most council members spend at least 20 hours a week on city-related business.
That includes council meetings, prepping for council meetings, serving on council subcommittees, representing the city on regional concerns that impact Manteca from flood protection districts and rail service to countywide transportation funding, and more.
In addition, they interact with constituents among other things.
Based on a minimum 80 hours a month, the $1,900 salary would translate into $22.50 an hour.
If council members invested more hours per week on city-related business, they would not receive additional funds. Stipends — or a salary if they go that route — is basically a flat rate of compensation.
Council members over the years have noted the stipends they receive typically cover the “cost” of their circulating with the public.
They attend numerous community events that have tickets they need to purchase to attend.
As such, much of the $600 stipend each could member currently receives basically covers out-of-pocket expenses incurred by being an elected city officials.
The council has the option of additional compensation for the mayor.
In addition, the new law allows the establishment of annual increases without changing city ordinances to do so.
It allows two options:
* An amount equal to 5 percent for each calendar year from the operative date of the last adjustment of the salary in effect when the ordinance or amendment is enacted.
* An amount equal to inflation since January 1, 2024, based upon the California Consumer Price Index, which shall not exceed 10 percent for each calendar year."
Switching to new compensation as allowed would require two public hearings.
Any changes, if made, can’t go into effect, until after the next election when new council members are elected.
In explaining the reason for the change, the legislature stated that the existing compensation levels based on population had not been adjusted since 1984.
It was also noted "allowing cities to adjust their compensation for inflation may help city councils become more diverse because increased compensation can help individuals from across different income levels receive sufficient income from their service to help ensure that they can continue to serve the public and support their families."
In other words, the legislature felt there was a need to update the numbers after 40 years, and there was a desire to encourage participation by individuals who might otherwise be discouraged from running for office due to the low pay and time commitment.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
