SIMI VALLEY : 30% Pay Increase for Planners Approved
Planning commissioners in Simi Valley will receive a 30% pay raise under a compensation plan approved Monday by the City Council.
In granting commissioners their first raise since 1987, council members said commissioners often spend more than their $250-per-month stipend in conducting the city’s business.
The commissioners will now receive a $325-per-month stipend to cover travel and telephone costs associated with viewing projects under consideration by the advisory panel.
“I served a year on the Planning Commission before I ran for City Council, and believe me, they put in a lot of hours,” Councilman Bill Davis said.
“It’s like anything else,” Davis said. “Even with the raise . . . my guess is they probably spend as much money in their job as a planning commissioner as what they get paid.”
The new stipend nearly matches the highest-paid planning commissioners in Ventura County.
Commissioners in Thousand Oaks are paid $375 a month, while some planning commissioners in small cities receive as little as $25 per meeting.
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