The current Resolution covering benefits for the City Attorney and the Municipal Court Judges is eighteen years old, and includes not only the City Attorney and Municipal Court Judges, but also members of City Council and the Mayor.  Due to Municipal Code and Resolution 2596 language, changes in the Executive Resolution will impact the pay and benefits of the City Attorney and Municipal Court Judges. Therefore, a replacement of Resolution 2596 is proposed in conjunction with the changes to the Executive Resolution.

Resolution No. 2596 established certain benefits for the City Attorney and Municipal Court Judges. If adopted, the new Resolution No. 3326 will be effective July 10, 2017 and will not expire until replaced or amended by City Council.

Substantive changes include:

Removal of Auto and Cell Phone Allowance.

The salaries of the City Attorney and Municipal Court Judges are established by Municipal Code 2.040.020 and 2.040.30.  Municipal Code 2.040.020 states:

The salary of the municipal judges shall be adjusted with the first full pay period following July 1 of each succeeding year. The salary of all municipal judges shall be equal and shall be set by averaging the salaries of the appointed department heads (excluding the highest and lowest salaries) on the first full pay period following July 1 of each year and thereafter adjusted for any cost of living increases afforded to the appointed department heads during that fiscal year. In the event the average is lower than the previous year, the salary of municipal judges shall not be decreased. For purposes of this section, the city manager shall not be a department head.

Municipal Code 2.040.30 states:

The salary of the elected city attorney shall be fixed at an amount $5,000.00 more than the salary for a municipal judge.

If approved today by City Council, the new Executive Resolution no longer includes a stand-alone benefit of auto allowance or cell phone allowance.  The value of both allowances is converted to the Executive’s base pay.  Due to the Municipal Code referenced above, changes to base pay in the Executive Resolution will automatically cause the City Attorney and Municipal Court Judges to receive a corresponding increase in base pay. Because of this, the auto allowance reference has been removed from the new Resolution.  The financial impact of these changes is reported in the agenda item for the Executive Resolution changes.

Removing the connection between the Executive Resolution and the City Attorney and Municipal Court Judges Resolution:

The new Resolution for the City Attorney and Municipal Court Judges removes the language that connects benefits to the Executive Resolution.  With the approval of the new Resolution for the City Attorney and Municipal Court Judges, changes to the benefit structure of the Executive Resolution no longer affect the benefits for the elected officials covered in the Resolution.  There is no financial impact to creating this separation.

Health Insurance Premiums.

In the prior Resolution, the officials elected after July 1, 2010 who enrolled qualifying dependents were responsible for payment of 50% of dependent health and life insurance premiums.  In the new Resolution, this language is removed to mirror the same change in all city Resolutions.  Therefore, any city official elected after July 1, 2006 will pay 25% of dependent life and health insurance premiums.  This Resolution change will have no immediate financial impact because all the current elected officials covered by this Resolution were sworn in for the first time prior to July 1, 2010.

1. The Council may choose to approve the proposed Resolution.
2. The Council may choose not to approve the proposed Resolution.
3. The Council may choose not to approve the proposed Resolution and direct the City Manager toward another alternative.

I move to approve Resolution No. 3326 establishing certain benefits offered to the City Attorney and Municipal Court Judges.