MEASURE

K

Shall the Berkeley Charter be amended, effective December 1998, to increase the Mayor's monthly payment to $2,850 and the Councilmembers' to $1,800; authorize future cost-of-living adjustments; allow two excused absences due to illness; and provide that any monthy payment not accepted by the Mayor or Councilmembers be used for their official expenses?

THE SITUATION

Since December 1988 the monthly payment for the Mayor and Councilmembers has been $1,750 and $875, respectively. The Mayor and each Councilmember also have generous allowances to pay for staff and office expenses. The Mayor and Councilmembers are paid for each regular meeting attended during a month. The total monthly amount is determined for each individual by dividing the month's allowed amount by the number of regular meetings held and then multiplying by the number of meetings actually attended. Exceptions are made when the Council excuses an individual who is on official City business, such as representing the City at a regional or national meeting. When the Mayor or a Councilmember is ill, that individual cannot be paid for the absence from a regular meeting.

This Charter amendment, Measure K, would increase the Mayor's monthly payment to $2,850 and each Councilmember's to $1,800. It would authorize future adjustments tied to the cost-of-living index in the San Francisco Bay Area. The measure would also allow the Mayor and Councilmembers to reduce their remunerations and use the difference for purposes authorized for their expenditure, such as staff or conference attendance. Additionally, the Mayor and Councilmembers could miss two meetings annually due to illness and still be paid for them.

A YES vote means the Mayor and each Councilmember would get a monthly pay increase of $1,100 and $925, respectively, with future changes tied to the cost-of -living index in the San Francisco Bay Area. It also means that the Mayor or a Councilmember would be allowed two paid absences from regular meetings during the year if due to illness.

A NO vote means the Mayor and Councilmembers would continue to be paid at the existing level, with no automatic increases and no paid absences from regular meetings due to illness.

· Inflation has gone up by 50% since 1988 when the Mayor and Councilmembers last received a pay increase.

· The workload for the Mayor and Councilmembers has greatly increased in the last decade: longer Council meetings; additional work as ombudspersons for their constituents since district elections passed in 1986; many evening and weekend meetings and public events.

·The Mayor and Councilmembers should receive fair compensation for a difficult job.

·A pay increase will allow more people from different walks of life to afford to hold public office.

· The Auditor believes that to state all this in the Charter would clarify what her duties and responsibilities are for all Berkeley citizens, government officials, and staff.

· Cities comparable to Berkel;ey provide few benefits. Berkeley's Mayor and Councilmembers get health, dental and life insurance, as well as retirement benefits. They have the use of offices, computers, and telephones and also are eligible for travel expenses.

· Being the Mayor or a Councilmember is not intended to be a full-time job since Berkeley has a City Manager form of government.

· The Mayor and Councilmembers receive additional pay for attending the Housing Authority and Redevelopment Agency meetings. They also receive an expense account to pay for staff and office expenses: each Councilmember gets $33,480 annually, and the Mayor's office got $357,742 in 1998, including pay for three staff members.

Miriam Ng, past President, Berkeley Chamber of Commerce; Laurie Capitelli, past President, Berkeley Board of Realtors; Ann-Marie Hogan, City Auditor; Tom Bates, former Assemblymember; Loni Hancock, former Mayor; Jeffrey Shattuck Leiter, former Mayor; Susan E. Wengraf, for the Berkeley Democratic Club.

MAJOR OPPONENTS

Martha H. Jones, President, Council of Neighborhood Associations (CNA); Theodore R. Edlin, Vice President, CNA; Robert Migdal, Rent Stabilization Board Commissioner; Al Silbowitz, former President, North East Berkeley Association (NEBA); Beth Feingold, Treasurer, NEBA; William S. Gilbert, President, Claremont Elmwood Neighborhood Association (CENA); John Cecil, Treasurer, CENA; Trudy Washburn.