Fail: 8,585 / 48.36% Yes votes ...... 9,168 / 51.64% No votes

See Also: Index of all Measures

YES
NO

If adopted, the ballot measure would amend Section 503 to establish a baseline monthly salary for each Councilmember at $1,500 with the Mayor receiving an additional twenty-five percent. The proposed charter amendment would not go into effect until January 1, 2009, and therefore no currently serving member of the City Council would receive this increase in compensation. The monthly salary would thereafter be adjusted annually based on the San Francisco Bay Area Consumer Price Index or comparable index. The annual adjustment, however, could not exceed five percent (5%) per year.

Measure C also contains clarifying language regarding the calculation of the salary for Councilmembers. It provides that any amounts paid to a Councilmember for retirement, health and welfare, or federal social security benefits would not be included in the monthly salary calculation provided these same benefits are available and paid by the City for its employees. Finally, the Measure C retains language in existing Section 503 providing that the City Council has no power to increase the salary by ordinance, resolution or motion and that any further increase would have to be approved by the voters through a charter amendment.

Prepared by:

/s/ Jannie L. Quinn
Senior Assistant City Attorney

City of Mountain View Measure C

Oct. 17 (Tues.) 7 p.m. at Congregation Beth Am 26790 Aratradero Rd. Los Altos Hills Pros & Cons on Ballot Measures co-sponsored by LWV Los Altos/Mtn. View Area and LWV Palo Alto

The proposed salary increase would not take effect until 2009, nor would it apply to any of the current councilmembers unless they are re-elected.

Mountain View voters approved a $250 per month salary in 1968 and increased it to $500 in 1984 when Mountain View's population was 62,800; the City had 418 employees and a total budget of $44.9 million. Today, our population is 71,995; the City employs 585 people with a budget of $193.4 million. Adjusted for inflation since 1968, the original $250 salary equals approximately $1450.

Councilmembers' responsibilities have expanded as the City and its services have grown (new parks, including Shoreline; paramedic service; additional fire station; new library; performing arts center) and will continue to do so. Councilmembers spend a minimum of 15-20 hours per week reading agenda materials; preparing for and attending Council meetings and study sessions; working on Council Committees, and; representing the City's interests on regional agencies such as VTA or ABAG. Additionally, Councilmembers attend numerous community forums and events; respond to calls and meet with constituents regarding the many issues important to Mountain View.

Amending the Charter would:

- Increase the council salary to $1500 per month.
- Index the salary to annual inflationary increases equal to the Bay Area CPI, not to exceed 5% per year.
- Authorize the Mayor or the Council to excuse a Councilmember's absence from a meeting for official city business.

We ask you to VOTE YES to ensure that Mountain View be represented by caring and hard-working Councilmembers who will devote the time and energy necessary to lead Mountain View into the future.

/s/ R. Michael Kasperzak, Jr
Councilmember & Former Mayor

/s/ Laura A. Macias
Council Member

/s/ Nick Galiotto
Mayor

/s/ Tom Means
council member

/s/ S. Carol Olson
resident & former CEO, Mtn View Chamber of Commerce

The argument in favor of Measure C does not justify tripling council members salaries.

The increase in City population, budget, and number of employees does not create a greater time burden for Council members. The Council is like a board of directors for a company. Its job is to set general policy, pass city ordinances, and supervise the top three executives of the city government. This involves attending occasional public functions, two regular meetings a month, a committee meeting or two, and preparation for these meetings (reviewing information provided by staff). It has always been and should continue to be a volunteer, part-time position, not full time.

In addition to being paid $500 for this volunteer job, Council members may also choose to receive the following fringe benefits:

• medical and dental insurance for their entire family - same as city employees
• PERS (State Retirement Program)
• Deferred Compensation (like IRA)
• 2 comp tickets to every Shoreline Amphitheater show
• $9100 a year in expense allowance for travel, training, and communications
• $3800 each four year term for computers and related expenses

We urge you to vote NO on Measure C

/s/ James R. (Jim) Cochran
Former Mayor

/s/ Ralph J. Faravelli
Former Mayor

/s/ Arthur Takahara
Former Mayor

/s/ Allen Price
Community Member

The councilmember salary should not be thought of as pay for a part-time job. Council work is a voluntary contribution of time and skill to our community. The payoff is having a chance to help make Mountain View a great place to work and live.

Current council pay is $500 a month with the Mayor getting an additional 25%. There is no simple answer to the question of how much is enough. If you inflate the 1984 figure of $500 by the change in inflation, you get a value of $974 as an equal value pay in 2005. That is a fair figure for increasing the councilmember salary.

Current compensation to the councilmember is actually greater than the current $500 per month in salary. Councilmembers are eligible for health and dental coverage for their whole family, Public Employees Retirement System (PERS), and Deferred Compensation. These items are a cost to the city and a financial benefit to the councilmember.

We urge you to vote NO on this measure, then support another measure to be placed on a future ballot that provides a 100% increase in councilmember salary to $1000 per month with increases each year based on the change in the Bay Area inflation rate. This will give future councilmembers a fair compensation for their voluntary service to the city.

Vote NO now and Yes on a future measure for increasing councilmember salaries to a fair level.

/s/ Ralph Faravelli
Former Mayor

/s/ Arthur Takahara
Former Mayor

/s/ Allen Price
Community Member

/s/ James R. (Jim) Cochran
Former Mayor

We believe residents in the City of Mountain View deserve broad and diverse representation. Community leadership should be provided by more than just those individuals who have the financial ability to do so. Community members should be able to serve without sacrificing financial stability.

The opponents fail to address several critical issues:

• Reasonable compensation for the position would attract under-represented populations including: women, minorities, and working families.
• Councilmembers spend up to 25 hours weekly on city business and constituent contact. The position of Mayor requires even more.
• If, as the opponents argue, serving the public should be "voluntary", why didn't they try to repeal the stipend?
• Historical inflation bears little relationship to the cost of living in Mountain View. The cost of living here, in Silicon Valley, continues to exceed national inflation rates year after year.

Vote YES to ensure that reasonable pay helps to attract the strongest, and most representative City Council in the years to come.

/s/ Delia Ybarra
Community Volunteer

/s/ Bruce Karney
Knowledge Management Consultant

/s/ Oscar Garcia
Community Volunteer

/s/ Rosiland Bivings
Small Business Owner

Each member of the city council shall receive as salary, each month, that sum which has been established by the electorate as of November 7, 2006, effective January 1, 2009, as the baseline salary amount of one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500) per month with automatic annual adjustments based on the San Francisco Bay Area Consumer Price Index for urban wage earners or comparable index not to exceed five percent (5%) per year. The mayor shall receive as salary, each month, that amount as calculated for a councilmember above, plus an additional twenty-five percent (25%) of said sum. Any amounts paid to a councilmember for retirement, health and welfare, and federal Social Security benefits shall not be included for purposes of determining salary pursuant to this section provided the same benefits are available and paid by the city for its employees. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the city council shall have no power to increase its salary by ordinance, resolution or motion. If a member of the city council, or mayor, does not attend all regular meetings of the city council called on order of the city council and held during the month, that person's salary for such month shall be reduced by the sum of twenty-five dollars ($25) for each regular meeting not attended unless that person is absent with the consent of the mayor or for official city business."