SIMI VALLEY : In Open Meeting, Council OKs Raises
One week after illegally granting pay increases for the city attorney and city manager behind closed doors, the Simi Valley City Council reconsidered the matter in open session Monday and approved the raises again.
City Manager Lin Koester will receive a 2.5% increase, boosting his total compensation by $3,946 to $187,199. City Atty. John Torrance will receive a 3.5% raise, increasing his pay and benefits by $4,142 to $147,186. The raises are effective immediately.
The council agreed to reconsider the matter in public after questions from The Times prompted Torrance to acknowledge that he had improperly advised the council to grant the raises.
Torrance said he was unaware of changes in the state open meeting law when he advised council members they could discuss and decide on such raises in private without informing the public in advance.
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