Nov. 2 – Lodi City Council members will consider giving themselves a raise of more than 50% next week, the first raise in more than 15 years.
Council members have received a stipend of $860 per month since 2008, along with benefits.
City staff said the stipends were consistent with the law in effect at the time and were not increased to keep pace with inflation or the cost of living.
Last year, the California Legislature passed Senate Bill 329, which increased compensation for council members across the state depending on population, and went into effect on January 1.
Under SB 329, council members in cities with a population of 35,000 or less could get $950 per month, while council members in cities with a population of more than $250,000 would get $3,200 per month.
Council members in towns with populations between 50,000 and 75,000 would receive a $1,600 compensation, staff said.
The population of Lodi, according to the last U.S. Census in 2020, was 66,348.
Senate Bill 329 was authored by Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, who argued that “low wages make it much more difficult for (council members) to balance their careers and personal obligations with the calling to serve their communities. It is time for these amounts to be addressed. with the current economic reality, especially with the rapid increase in inflation we have seen recently.”
The bill, Dodd said, was intended to remove barriers to fair representation in local government by making it easier for public officials to balance their careers and personal lives.
“Increasing wages will also make it easier for members of marginalized communities to serve,” he said. “City governments should be reflective of the communities they represent and I believe increasing their compensation is an important step in achieving that equitable outcome.”
The council on Wednesday will discuss approval of an emergency ordinance that would make the $1,600 monthly stipend take effect immediately “for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health or safety,” according to the staff report.
If the proposed increase is passed as an ordinance and not an “emergency ordinance,” staff said, implementation would be delayed until at least one council member begins a new term in December 2026.
“Delaying implementation would pose an immediate threat to the public peace, health and safety of the City and its community due to the identified financial harm to current council members, the deterrent to several future candidates running for the City’s next election cycle effective in 2026, and ultimately the city as a whole,” staff said.
Depending on benefits selected and received, staff said, a council member’s maximum current total compensation could be as much as $37,211 per year. If the city increases the compensation to $1,600 per month, or $19,200 per year, the total compensation amount would be as much as $47,299 per year.
The salary increase is estimated to cost an additional $29,290 for the remainder of the 2024-2025 fiscal year, which ends June 30.
