CAMARILLO : Council Members Raise Their Pay 25%

Camarillo City Council members voted themselves a 25% pay increase Wednesday, raising their salaries from $400 to $500 a month.

The 3-1 vote came over the objections of two-term Councilwoman Sandi Bush, who cited a tight city budget, cuts from the state and new fees that the county intends to charge cities for prisoners sent to the County Jail.

“It’s not that members don’t earn the money they make and much more,” Bush said. “I guess it’s a matter of principle. We’re still in a financial crunch here.”

Camarillo City Manager J. William Little said council members’ salaries do not compensate them for the amount of time they spend on city business.

“It’s a question of serving the community,” he said.

Council members spend 20 to 40 hours a week on city business, Assistant City Manager Larry Davis said. The members study their often-thick council agenda packets, attend committee meetings and participate on other government boards, such as the Regional Sanitation District, he said.

The raise is permitted under a section of the California Government Code that allows cities with populations of 50,000 to 75,000 to pay council members up to $500 per month. The city’s population reached 50,000 Jan. 1 and has now climbed to about 50,660, Davis said.

Council members received their last raise in the late 1970s, he said.