MOORPARK : Council Votes to Triple Its Wages

The Moorpark City Council has voted to triple its monthly paychecks over the opposition of two council members.

Stipends will increase from $100 to $300.

Council members Paul Lawrason and Eloise Brown voted Wednesday night against the measure proposed by Scott Montgomery. It was supported by Clint Harper and Mayor Bernardo Perez.

Montgomery said he asked to triple the pay because he feels that the council is underpaid for the work it does.

The City Council meets twice a month at regular Wednesday meetings, and members also attend special meetings at which city business is discussed, Montgomery said.

The pay increases could become an election issue. Brown and Harper are up for reelection in November. In addition, the city will elect a mayor for the first time, and Harper and Lawrason have indicated that they will file to run for the office. In addition to the stipend, the city has budgeted $6,600 to reimburse council members for travel and business expenses, Deputy City Manager Richard Hare said. The council has spent about $3,700 from the budget for travel expenses this year.

Under state law, council members representing cities with populations of less than 35,000 are allowed monthly stipends of up to $300. Moorpark is the fastest-growing city in the county with a population of nearly 27,000.

The raise is the first the five-member council has given itself since the city incorporated in 1983. Any pay increase approved by the council would not take effect until after the November election.