MARINA >> The Marina City Council voted 3-1 to revise the compensation for mayor and council members at its meeting Tuesday, after discussion, staff input and public comment over the last few months, that will see an increase in compensation after 34 years.

Mayor Bruce Delgado was the lone dissenting vote on the agenda item that was on the consent agenda for a second reading. But he pulled the item for revising compensation for mayor and council members “to give us one more chance to consider.”

In the end, with the vote to adopt, the mayor and council members will see their monthly compensation rise from $250 to $2,250 and $200 to $2,000, respectively.

Delgado said that the majority of the public who provided comment did not support amending the ordinances to revise the compensation for members of the governing body.

“I think the sticker shock feelings are going to continue, increase and have an impact on our success with bonds and other things we want to do and so I think it’s worth reconsidering tonight and that’s why I pulled it,” explained Delgado at the meeting. “I would like to motion again that we reset increase the salary of mayor to $1,000 and reset increase stipend of city council to $850 with no health benefits.”

None of the council members in attendance seconded the mayor’s motion.

Since 1990, when the last increase for the mayor and council was implemented, the cost of living has increased more than 300%, the city’s population and complexity has grown, along with the hours required and resources needed to prepare for and attend city council meetings, and perform other functions of the council, which have also increased significantly, according to city documents.

“It’s not the little quiet town it once was,” said Delgado, adding there is so much going on and so many large dollar projects.

Before Tuesday’s passage of the revised ordinances, the salary for the mayor was set at $250 per month and city council member at $200 per month, which were some of the lowest in the Monterey County area.

The California Legislature recognized the low compensation for members of city councils as a problem in 2023 and adopted Senate Bill 329 (Dodd) which authorized general law cities to enact an ordinance to increase compensation for each member of a city council based upon the population and authorized that amount to be increased by up to 5% for each calendar year from the operative date of the last adjustment, says the resolution.

Though the city of Marina is not a general law city and thus SB 329 is not applicable, the goal of the bill was to address inflationary increases and economic realities and remove barriers to achieving more equitable representation in local government by making it easier for public servants to balance careers and personal obligations.

The intent of SB 329, according to city staff, was to assist city councils in becoming 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, making it easier for members of marginalized communities to serve.

The City Council of the city of Marina finds that, consistent with the findings of SB 329, increasing the compensation for its council members would facilitate equitable representation in local government by making it easier for public servants to balance careers and personal obligations, and increase the opportunity for individuals across different income levels, as well as those individuals in marginalized communities, to participate in public service.

With the Marina Council voting to revise the compensation for mayor and council members, each council member will receive compensation of $2,000 per month, and the directly-elected mayor shall receive compensation of $2,250 per month. The compensation stipend will be adjusted annually, according to the cost of living adjustment approved for the city’s general bargaining unit employees, and the mayor and council members are eligible for reimbursement for official travel, according to the policies and procedures set forth in the official travel policy. The mayor and council members are eligible to enroll in current available plans offered by the city for health, dental and vision at their own expense with no city contribution. The mayor and council may divert their compensation stipend to cover the costs of benefit elections.

The ordinance will take effect and be in force 30 days after adoption and within 15 days after the passage of this ordinance, the city clerk will have it posted in the three public places designated by resolution of the city council.

The foregoing ordinance was introduced at a regular meeting of the City Council of the city of Marina held on Feb. 19, and was passed and adopted at a regular meeting held on March 4, by a vote of 3-1, with Delgado dissenting and council member Kathy Biala absent.