Measure J - City of Woodland
MEASURE J:
Shall the salary for City Council members of the City of Woodland be increased from $250 to $500 per month, and in the future be adjusted by City ordinance in accordance with State law?
Measure J Documents
Downloadable PDFs:
| Full Text of Measure J | Impartial Analysis of Measure J | Argument in Favor of Measure J |
Full Text of Measure J
EXHIBIT “A”
ORDINANCE NO. _____
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF WOODLAND AMENDING SECTION 2.04.300 OF THE WOODLAND MUNICIPAL CODE (COUNCIL MEMBER SALARY) AND REPEALING MEASURE C OF 1986 WHICH RESTRICTED COUNCIL MEMBER SALARIES
NOW, THEREFORE, THE PEOPLE OF THE CITY OF WOODLAND DOES HEREBY ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Amendment of Section 2.04.300. Section 2.04.300, “Council member salary” of the Woodland Municipal Code, is amended to read as follows:
"City Council members shall receive a salary of five hundred dollars per month.”
Section 2. Repeal of Measure C. Measure C, as adopted by the People of the City of Woodland on April 8, 1986, is hereby repealed. City Council salaries shall hereafter be established by the City Council in accordance with Government Code Section 36516, or any successor statute thereto.
Section 3. If any portion of this Ordinance is declared invalid by a court of law or other legal body with applicable authority, the invalidity shall not affect or prohibit the force and effect of any other provision or application of the Ordinance that is not deemed invalid. The voters of the City hereby declare that they would have circulated for qualification and/or voted for the adoption of this section, and each portion thereof, regardless of the fact that any portion of the initiative may be subsequently deemed invalid.
Section 4. To the fullest extent allowed by law, the provisions of this Ordinance shall prevail over, and supersede, all other provisions of the Municipal Code and any ordinances, resolutions or administrative policies of the City of Woodland which are in conflict with any provision of this Ordinance.
Section 5. This Ordinance shall not be repealed or amended except by a measure approved by a majority of the electors voting on the issue at a General Municipal Election, or at a special election called for that purpose.
Section 6. This Ordinance shall take effect only if approved by a majority of the eligible voters of the City of Woodland voting at the General Municipal election to be held on November 8, 2022, and shall take effect ten (10) days after the City Council has certified the results of the General Municipal election by resolution.
Section 7. The Mayor is hereby authorized to attest to the adoption of this Ordinance by the People voting thereon on November 8, 2022, by signing where indicated below.
I hereby certify that the foregoing Ordinance was passed, approved and adopted by the People of the City of Woodland on the 8th day of November, 2022.
Mayra Vega, Mayor
ATTEST: Ana B. Gonzalez, City Clerk
APPROVED AS TO FORM: Ethan Walsh, City Attorney
Impartial Analysis of Measure J
CITY OF WOODLAND
CITY ATTORNEY'S IMPARTIAL ANALYSIS OF MEASURE "J"
CITY COUNCIL SALARIES
On June 21, 2022, the City Council voted to place Measure "J" on the November 8, 2022 general municipal election ballot.
If approved by a majority of Woodland voters, Measure "J" would adjust the current salary for Woodland City Council members from $250 per month to $500 per month. Measure "J" would also repeal Measure "C", which was adopted by the voters of Woodland on April 8, 1986. Measure "C" set Woodland City Council salaries at $250 per month and further provided that City Council salaries could only be increased by a vote of the citizens of Woodland. Measure "J" would allow that in the future the City could adjust City Council salaries in accordance with the restrictions set forth in state law.
California Government Code section 3 6516( a) governs city council salaries, and provides that council salaries for cities between 50,000 and 75,000 in population (like Woodland) may be set at an amount up to $500 per month. Government Code section 36516(a) also provides that the City Council may increase salaries above the $500 per month limit, provided that salaries cannot be increase by more than five percent for each calendar year since the operative date for the last salary adjustment. Additionally, any increase in Council salary cannot take effect until after the following Council election. Therefore, if Measure "J" passes, City Council salaries could be adjusted in the future by the adoption of an ordinance by the City Council, but could not be increase by more than five percent per year, and any salary adjustment would not be effective until after the next City Council election.
A "yes" vote on Measure "J" will authorize an increase to City Council salaries from $250 per month to $500 per month, and will allow the City to adjust City Council salaries in the future in accordance with state law.
A "no" vote on Measure "J" will keep City Council salaries at $250 per month, and will continue to require that
any increase to City Council salaries must be approved by the voters of Woodland at a future election.
The above statement is an impartial analysis of Measure "J". If you desire a copy of the Measure, please call the City's elections official at (530) 661-5806 and a copy will be mailed at no cost to you.
/s/ ETHAN WALSH
City Attorney
Argument in Favor of Measure J
ARGUMENT IN FAVOR OF MEASURE J
The compensation for those who serve on the city council has been frozen at $250 per month for close to 40 years. This simple measure links council compensation to state law which provides for $500 per month per member with a small annual adjustment. Council service is regarded by many as the equivalent of an additional half time job. In the interest of fairness, we ask for your support on this important update.
/s/ Gary Sandy
/s/ Marlin H. “Skip” Davies
/s/ Janet M. Ruggiero
/s/ Jesse Ortiz
/s/ Art Pimentel