Charter panel keeps council pay figures, agrees wording change to make amounts explicit compensation

The Charter Review Commission discussed proposed language for Section 3.04 governing council pay and reimbursements and decided to keep the dollar amounts in the draft charter while clarifying the wording to make clear those sums are compensation.

The meeting opened with the chair pressing the central question: "Should our council members be paid?" and urging the commission to frame the question so voters decide the policy. Several commissioners said voters will want to know a specific amount if the question goes before them. One committee member argued that leaving the exact figure in the charter prevents a council-appointed committee from stacking a panel and setting pay without direct voter approval. Another participant suggested tying pay to attendance or other activity as an accountability measure.

After discussion the chair said the commission would "leave it exactly as we voted at $507.50 a month," while asking staff to reword the section so the first clause reads that members "shall serve with compensation" and then list the council and mayor payments separately, followed by the reimbursement language. The commission did not adopt new thresholds or conditions for tax/treatment of compensation; members noted those details would be handled by implementing policy or legal counsel.

The decision keeps specific amounts visible to voters in the proposed charter text while instructing staff to clarify the draft language so the payments are characterized as compensation and not merely as a cap on reimbursements. The item will be included in the packet for city council review.