NOTICE OF INTENT TO CIRCULATE PETITION
Notice is hereby given by the persons whose names appear hereon of their intention to circulate a petition within the City of Richmond for the purpose of amending the Richmond Municipal Code in order to establish a mechanism by which the City Council shall set the compensation levels for City officials and employees.
A statement of the reasons for the proposed action as contemplated in the petition is as follows:
Based on recent figures, City officials and employees earned a median salary of approximately $100,000 in 2013, almost double the median household income of Richmond residents.
The City Manager receives roughly seven times more than the median household income of Richmond residents in the form of salary and benefits.
The City Manager receives approximately three times the salary and benefits of the Governor of the State of California.
The City Manager is paid even more than city managers in surrounding cities with larger populations, including Antioch, Concord, Walnut Creek, Berkeley, Stockton, and Sacramento.
Based on public data, City officials and employees received raises as City agencies ran up debt.
The initiative measure will expose the compensation paid to high-level City officials and impose a sensible limit on the compensation paid to the City Manager.
Signed: ________________________
Fritz Kunze
The people of the city of Richmond do ordain as follow:
Chapter 2.66 is added to Article II of the Municipal Code to read as follows:
2.66.010 – Compensation of City Officials
(a) The City Manager shall continuously publicize the compensation paid to all City exempt service officials and employees of the City, as designated by section 3(a) of article XIII of the City Charter (e.g., all officers elected by the people; all members of the several boards; the City Manager; the Clerk; the City Attorney and his legal assistants; and persons employed to render professional, scientific, technical or expert service of an occasional and exceptional character), on the City’s website as follows:
(1) The total amount of compensation, including pension, health, or any other financial benefit, paid by the City to, or for the benefit of, each designated official and employee in the immediately preceding calendar year:
(2) The total amount of compensation, including pension, health, or any other financial benefit, expected to be paid by the City to, or for the benefit of, each designated official and employee in the current calendar year.
(b) The City Council shall set the annual compensation, including pension, health, or any other financial benefit, paid to, or for the benefit of, all City exempt service officials and employees of the City, as designated by section 3(c) of Article XIII of the City Charter, by resolution, as the council shall from time to time determine.
(c) Notwithstanding subdivision (b), the City Council shall not set or agree to pay annual compensation, including pension, health, or other financial benefit to, or for the benefit of, the City Manager that would exceed the following limit:
(1) Five times the most currently reported median household income provided by the U.S. Census Bureau (based on data derived from Population Estimates, American Community Survey, Census of Population and Housing, County Business Patterns, Economic Census, Survey of Business Owners, Building Permits, Census of Governments) for the City.
(d) The following shall apply to this section, adopted by initiative:
(1) Pursuant to Elections Code Section 9217 or any successor statute, the City Council may only amend or repeal this ordinance upon a vote of the people.
(2) If any provision of this measure, or part thereof, is for any reason held to be invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining provisions shall not be affected, but shall remain in full force and effect, and to this end the provisions of this measure are severable. This section is not intended to and shall not be interpreted to invalidate or interfere with an employment contract executed prior to the adoption of this measure, however, no such contract may be extended or new contract executed that would exceed the limitation provided in this section.
(3) This measure is intended to be comprehensive. It is the intent of the People that in the event this measure or measures relating to the same subject shall appear on the same statewide election ballot, the provisions of the other measure or measures shall be deemed to be in conflict with this measure. In the event that this measure receives a greater number of affirmative votes, the provisions of this measure shall prevail in their entirety, and all provisions of the other measure or measures shall be null and void.
What was interesting last night , was there was no mention by the city Clerk that was a Initiative filed which when qualified will lead to a special election. So there will be no extra cost for a special election for the city council vacancy . Let the voters decide .
February 9, 2015
Diane Holmes
City Clerk
City of Richmond
450 Civic Center Plaza
Richmond,CA 94804
Re: Initiative Measure to be Submitted to Voters
Dear Ms. Holmes:
Please find enclosed with this letter a copy of a proposed initiative measure and Notice of Intent to Circulate Petition for the City of Richmond, along with the $200 filing fee. Please transmit the initiative measure to the City Attorney for a Title and Summary pursuant to California Elections Code Section 9203.
I am the proponent of this measure and am registered voter within the City of Richmond. Attached, please find a signed proponent affidavit as required by Section 9608 of the California Elections Code.
Should you have any questions or require additional information, please contact my attorney,
Thomas W. Hiltachk, at:
Bell, McAndrews & Hiltachk, LLP
455 Capitol Mall, Suite 600
Sacramento, CA 95814
Bus: (916) 442-7757
Fax: (714) 442-7759
Very Truly Yours,
Fritz Kunze