HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014 03 04 AIS CCI CMO Drafy Council Reimbursment AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY Meeting Date: 3/3/2014
Meeting Type: Work Session
Staff Contact/Dept.: Niel Laudati/CMO Staff Phone No: 541.726.3780
Estimated Time: 30 Minutes
Springfield Committee for Citizen Involvement
Council Goals: Provide Financially Responsible and
Innovative Government Services
ITEM TITLE: CHARTER AMENDEMENT TO ALLOW FOR COUNCILOR COMPENSATION
ACTION
REQUESTED:
Obtain guidance from Committee on moving forward with a Charter Amendment
allowing for City Councilor Compensation.
ISSUE STATEMENT:
The Springfield Mayor and Council are volunteers. The Springfield Charter states:
“No Councilor or Mayor may receive compensation for serving in that capacity.
The Council may prescribe a plan for reimbursing Mayor and City Council for expenses they incur in serving the City.” In Springfield; however, reimbursement
for mileage, technology fees, etc. is available.
ATTACHMENTS: Attachment 1: Examples of Council Reimbursements from other Oregon Cities.
DISCUSSION/
FINANCIAL
IMPACT:
The Mayor and City Councilors typically spend 25-35 hours per week attending
council meetings, answering constituent emails and reviewing the materials prepared for each week’s Council agenda.They are also asked to attend multiple city-related inter-governmental meetings during the week and events on nights and
weekends on behalf of the community. It has become common practice for the Mayor and Councilors to use personal vacation time from their jobs in order to
attend events and meetings on behalf of the city. They often pay for a guest to
attend night and weekend events when they are asked to attend events as well. Items such as child care are not covered.
Over the past year, a sub-committee of the City Council, assisted by staff from the City Attorney and City Managers Offices met on several occasions to discuss
whether, and how, to amend the City Charter to allow for a reasonable monthly compensation. After discussion and reviewing council compensation from across the state, the sub-committee initially recommended a $300 per month stipend for
each councilor and a $500 per month stipend for the Mayor. During a February 10, 2014 City Council Work Session, councilors decided to send
the issue to the Planning Commission to coordinate the review of this proposal by all other city officials appointed to Springfield’s various boards, committees and
commissions. These groups would conduct public meetings allowing interested
parties to comment and then forward their recommendation back to the Council.
Amending the Charter requires a vote of the public.
The fiscal impact to the city is approximately $27,000 per year. Additionally, it is
recommended that reimbursement for mileage and other charges that accrue to
participation in city business continues as an added expense.
Attachment 1, Page 1 of 1