PREPARED BY: MATT RODRIGUEZ DATE OF MEETING: 10/01/18
SUBJECT:
TITLE
CITY COUNCIL AUTHORIZATION TO CONTINUE POLICY DISCUSSION ON THE ENHANCEMENT OF COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS TO THE ELECTED CITY CLERK AND ELECTED CITY TREASURER
Label
CITY MANAGER RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
By Minute Order Continue policy discussion at this time.
Body
Compliance statements
Enhanced Compensation and Benefits for the Elected City Clerk and Elected City Treasurer is not an adopted policy contained in the FY 2018-2021 Adopted Council Priority Workplan, effective November 1, 2017.
Special Election/Appointive Officials (City Clerk/City Treasurer) is an adopted policy contained in the FY 2018-2021 Adopted Council Priority Workplan, effective November 1, 2017.
CEQA Compliance Statement
Not a project under CEQA.
BACKGROUND
At the September 4, 2018 City Council meeting, on motion made by Councilmember Kinney and affirmed by majority vote, the City Council voted to add an agenda item for future City Council policy discussion to consider the potential for enhancing compensation and/or benefits for the elected City Clerk and elected City Treasurer. This is currently not an adopted policy matter as contained in the adopted FY 2018-2021 Council Priority Workplan, effective November 1, 2017.
Council Adopted Priority Workplan
Since FY 2013/14, the City Council has authorized the City Manager via the adopted Council Priority Workplan (Workplan) to explore the feasibility for future City Council consideration and approval to place a ballot measure for San Pablo voters to consider converting the elected City Clerk and elected City Treasurer to appointed City officials.
The rationale for this potential future conversion from elected to appointed officials is to emulate the current local government trend in California where elected City Clerks and elected City Treasurers are being converted to appointed City officials, with requisite knowledge, professional experience, and professional certifications (i.e. International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC), City Clerks Association of California (CCAC); California Municipal Treasurers’ Association (CMTA)) in their respective professional fields. In fact, the CCAC recently determined that nearly 78% of the nearly 453 cities surveyed (both charter and general law cities) in California who maintain City Clerk and City Treasurer positions have appointed City Clerks among those California cities surveyed (Source: CCAC Survey updated 02/12/18; <https://www.californiacityclerks.org/>)
Contra Costa County Cities’ Survey - Elected vs. Appointed Officials
To highlight any disparities with these trends more locally, City staff recently surveyed all nineteen (19) incorporated cities in Contra Costa County during September 2018. Following evaluation of survey results, twelve (12) of nineteen (19) incorporated cities within the County surveyed (or 63%), have appointed City Clerk and appointed City Treasurer officials at this time. Of the remaining seven (7) cities (or 37%), four still maintain both elected City Clerk and elected City Treasurer officials, including the City of San Pablo. Of the three of the seven (3/7) remaining cities, these cities maintain either an appointed City Clerk or appointed City Treasurer, but not both officials (See Attachment).
San Pablo Community At-Large Survey Results
A City survey conducted in July 2014 by the City’s consultant, Strategy Research Institute, Inc., determined that a significant majority of the community/electorate at-large generally opposed (58%) converting the elected City Clerk and elected City Treasurer into appointed City officials at that time (see Attachment). Nonetheless, the City Council has kept this policy matter in the Council Workplan for continued analysis, education, and implementation as directed by the City Council. In fact, the City Manager requests that the City Council continues this current policy implementation into the next election cycle of 2020 to be addressed by the new City Council following the November 2018 election.
Compensation and Benefits Data for Elected City Clerks and City Treasurers
During September 2018, City staff further contacted all general law Contra Costa cities to determine their current compensation and benefits of elected City Clerk and elected City Treasurer officials and compared this data with the current compensation and benefits provided to our elected officials in the City of San Pablo. The general law cities within the County that have either an elected City Clerk or elected City Treasurer, or both, include: Antioch, Concord, Martinez, Pinole, Pittsburg, and Walnut Creek (see Attachment).
Previous Adopted City Council Ordinances
Since the elected City Clerk and elected City Treasurer are part-time serving officials with limited powers and duties pursuant to the San Pablo Municipal Code, the City Council previously decided to adopt ordinances which limit compensation and benefits for all elected City officials, especially in accordance with the Public Employees’ Medical and Hospital Care Act (PEHMCA) regulations, as follows:
1) Ordinance #2011-002 (Adopted July 5. 2011): Established limits on medical in-lieu compensation, retirement and welfare benefits for City Council members pursuant to San Pablo Municipal Code (SPMC) 2.44.020(B); State Government Code Section 36516 (d); 53208.5; 36516 (f); and PEMCA regulations)
2) Ordinance #2014-11 (Adopted 10/06/14): Established salaries for City Council, City Clerk and City Treasurer pursuant to State Government Code Section 36516(b); limited health and welfare benefits to retired members of the City Council first elected on or after January 1, 2013, including but not limited to any city-paid supplemental to PEMHCA medical coverage, life insurance, dental coverage, or any other health and welfare benefit during retirement; City shall pay for the health and welfare coverage of each City Clerk and City Treasurer elected prior to November 2010, during their terms of office, to the same extent as provided for members of the City Council; no City Clerk or City Treasurer first elected on or after November, 2010 shall be entitled to any city-paid health or welfare benefits during retirement, including but not limited to any city-paid supplemental to PEMHCA medical coverage, life insurance, dental coverage, or any other health and welfare benefit during retirement.
3). Ordinance #2014-014 (Adopted 10/20/14): Established a salary increase to the City Clerk of four hundred dollars per month beginning of the new term of office on or around December 2014 - 2018 term of office, and shall be two hundred dollars per month thereafter; provided, however, if the position of the City Clerk is appointed, the salary, if any for same shall be established by Resolution.
City Manager Recommendation
Since there is no adopted policy at this time to enhance the compensation and/or benefits for the elected City Clerk and elected City Treasurer in the adopted FY 2018-21 Council Priority Workplan, the City Council would need to discuss this policy matter formally and vote to amend the Workplan by Resolution.
However, it is the conclusion of the City Manager that any enhancement of compensation and/or benefits to the elected City Clerk and elected City Treasurer at this time would establish an undue precedent for enhancing compensation and benefits to very limited part-time City officials. Furthermore, in the wake of recent City ordinances adopted by the City Council in 2014, the City Council has established formal policy on limiting compensation and health and benefits coverage for the existing elected City Clerk and City Treasurer. Therefore, the City Manager requests the City Council consider continuing this agenda item for policy discussion by a future City Council. Instead, City staff will continue with the current and ongoing policy implementation of the feasibility of a ballot measure for conversion of the elected City Clerk and elected City Treasurer to appointed officials for the next election cycle in 2020 as currently directed under the Workplan.
FISCAL IMPACT
None associated with this report.
Attachments:
1) Contra Costa County Cities’ Survey on Elected or Appointed City Clerk and City Treasurer Officials (September 2018)
2) Addendum A - Survey Results from SRI, Inc. re: City-wide Survey on Elected to Appointive Officials (July 2014)
3) Current Compensation and Benefit Survey Data for elected City Clerk and elected City Treasurer officials in Contra Costa County cities (September 2018)
4) City Council Adopted Ordinances 2011-002; 2014-011 and 2014-014).