Placement: First Reading of Ordinances
Action Requested: Motion / Vote
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Ordinance 19-73, An Ordinance of the City of Port St. Lucie, Florida, Establishing the Salary of the Mayor and Councilmembers; Providing for Repeal of Previous Ordinances; Providing for Conflict; Providing for Severability; Providing an Effective Date.
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Submitted By: Caroline Valentin, Deputy City Attorney
Strategic Plan Link: The City’s Mission to provide exceptional municipal services.
Executive Summary (General Business): At the September 26, 2019, regular Council meeting, Council requested that the City Attorney’s Office prepare an ordinance to set compensation according to “Option 1” set forth in a detailed compensation analysis prepared by the City Manager’s Office.
Presentation Information: A representative of the City Manager’s Office will be available to answer any questions.
Staff Recommendation: Move that the Council adopt the attached ordinance.
Alternate Recommendations:
1. Move that the Council amend the recommendation and adopt the ordinance.
2. Move that the Council provide staff direction.
Background: Each municipality sets the compensation of its elected officials. County commissioners and other constitutional officers salaries, on the other hand, are set by state law and a formula that is heavily based on population and other factors including base salary, group rate, annual factor and cumulative annual factor. Florida Statutes, section 145.011, sets forth the legislative intent behind a uniform method of calculation, reasoning that it prevents any haphazard, preferential, inequitable, or unconstitutional methods of calculating such salaries.
The City’s Charter at article III, § 3.04, provides that the City Council “may determine the annual base salary of Councilmembers and the Mayor by ordinance and may further provide for annual automatic adjustments to the base salary so determined. No ordinance increasing the annual base salary shall become effective until the date of commencement of the terms of the Councilmembers elected at the next regular election, at which time the base salary increase shall become effective as to all the Councilmembers and the Mayor, provided that such election follows the adoption of such ordinance by at least six (6) months.”
City Administrative Policy 13-1, Ordinance 87-31 and Ordinance 01-46 currently govern compensation for the Mayor and Councilmembers. Annually by November 30, the Director of the Office of Management & Budget, with the assistance of the Finance Director, calculates the salaries of the Mayor and Councilmembers for the year beginning October 1.
To evaluate compensation of the Mayor and City Council for FY 2019-2020, the Council requested that staff prepare a comparative analysis of salaries paid to other local governing body members in Florida. The City Manager’s Office presented its findings, analysis, and options for calculation of the salaries at the August 26, 2019, meeting. Thereafter, Council voted to move forward with drafting an ordinance based on “Option 1” of the analysis which suggested:
“The salary of the Mayor could be set at the salary of a St. Lucie County Commissioner, which is updated annually via a formula governed by Florida statutes. The Council’s salary could be set at a proportionate amount based on the City’s current population and percentage of the overall County population.”
Issues/Analysis: The City Manager’s Office presented the following options to Council:
“1. Set the Mayor’s salary at the salary of a St. Lucie County Commissioner, which is updated annually via a formula governed by Florida statutes. The Council’s salary could be set at a proportionate amount based on the City’s current population and percentage of the overall County population.
2. Set the Mayor’s salary utilizing the state formula for a county commissioner of a similar population size. The Council could salary could be set at a proportionate amount such as 60%.”
Council directed the City Attorney’s Office to draft an ordinance based on Option 1.
Financial Information: Any change in compensation will not take effect until the seating of the next City Council following the November 3, 2020, election. Adoption of any ordinance amending council compensation must be adopted at least 6 months prior to the November 3, 2020 election. This would provide ample time to include any potential salary increase in the budget.
Special Consideration: N/A
Location of Project: N/A
Attachments: Ordinance; Mayor and City Council: Compensation Analysis; Comparative Analysis - Updated
NOTE: All of the listed items in the “Attachment” section above are in the custody of the City Clerk. Any item(s) not provided in City Council packets are available upon request from the City Clerk.
LEGAL SUFFICIENCY REVIEW:
Approved as to Legal form and sufficiency by James D. Stokes, City Attorney. (Reference Legistar database for authorizing City Attorney representative.)