Title
Discuss Plans to Engage the Community in the Council Salary Discussion
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Discuss plans to engage the community in the Council salary discussion.
City Manager Recommendation:
Discuss plans to engage the community in the Council salary discussion.
Report
Issue:
Whether to move to discuss plans to engage the community in the Council salary discussion.
Staff Contact:
Manny Bosser, Human Resources Director, Human Resources, 360.753.8309
Presenter(s):
Regina Adams, Senior Human Resources Generalist, Human Resources.
Background and Analysis:
The current Salary Commission included the following in their final Council Salary schedule:
The Commission agrees with the 2021 Salary Commission when they reported, "In part, they oversee the city budget, hire the city manager, direct policy development, and engage with the community on myriad issues. Diversity among our council is of the utmost importance. Representation of our City Council should reflect the diversity of Olympia's population and lived experiences of our community. Accordingly, it is important to compensate councilmembers on a sustainable and equitable basis. We believe this warrants further consideration but would require more time devoted to public engagement and discussion."
In an attempt to begin working on the public engagement suggested by the 2021 Commission, Commissioners voted to hold an additional four meetings prior to the next Salary Commission cycle to start looking at what that project might entail. The Commissioners want to find out if the amount Olympia Councilmembers are paid is a deterrent for people in the community to run for a position on the Council. They are committed to understanding what the community thinks and feels about this issue.
Climate Analysis:
This agenda item has no significant impact on the climate.
Equity Analysis:
This agenda item may lead to an impact on equity later as the Commission receives feedback from t...
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