In a memo dated Nov. 8, 2019, city management says doubling meeting sums (from $100 to $200, up to $1,000 per month) for the Mayor's Charter Commission appointees (CPCC members are currently volunteers) and paying all (not just some) of the Mayor's "advisory" bodies $50 per meeting (capped at $100 per month) could consume $733,200 per year from all city funds with a cost of $394,800 to LB's General Fund...although "based on the number of meetings held in 2018," annual costs could be roughly $261,750 (all funds) and $109,759 from the General Fund.
On August 13, 2019, the Council's "Budget Oversight Committee" first discussed management's proposal (agendized item here.) None of the Committee's three members -- chair Stacy Mungo, vice chair Suzie Price, member Al Austin -- flatly opposed the payments. Instead Committee chair Mungo asked management to provide cost figure that maintained management's proposed meeting payment sums but capped annual costs at somewhat lower totals: $7,000 per year (instead of $1,000 per month) for Charter Commissions and $1,000 per year (instead of $100 per month) for advisory bodies. However Mungo also proposed higher sums than proposed by management for the Mayor's appointees to the Economic Development Commission (an advisory body), Airport Advisory Commission (also advisory) and the LB Transit Board of Directors (with voting powers): $75 per meeting (instead of $50) capped at $1,000 per year (instead of $100 per month.)
City management's Nov. 8 memo indicates the Mungo's suggested metrics would cost taxpayers $494,000 (all funds) with $273,000 from the General Fund although "based on the number of meetings held in 2018" the cost would be closer to $258.925 (all funds) with $112,225 from LB's General Fund.
A decision on whether to pay all of the Mayor's advisory body appointees and double the sums paid to the Mayor's Charter Amendment appointees is entirely discretionary with the City Council. The three-Councilmember Budget Oversight Committee has no independent enacting power; it could recommend that the Council approve management's meeting-pay proposal, or Mungo's modified meeting-pay proposal, or recommend rejecting the meeting-pay proposal. Thus far, the Budget Oversight Committee hasn't revisited the issue.
Currently, only seven advisory bodies receive meeting payments. Most LB's advisory commission members volunteered to meet and discuss subjects suggested by the Mayor/Council and in some cases agendized by their committee. In 2018, the matter of exactly what subjects advisory commissions can discuss and offer advice begat a loud controversy.
A City Council agenda item surfaced for the Counci's July 10, 2018 meeting that proposed to tighten city management control over subjects discussed or voted on by the advisory bodies. First reported by LBREPORT.com here, it proposed amendments to LB's Municipal Code that would effectively prevent the advisory bodies from agendizing for their discussion items not approved by the City Manager of his staff. The non-elected City Manager answers to the elected Mayor and Council...and proposed to give the Mayor the power to remove Advisory Commissioner(s) without publicly stating any reason with Council majority voted approval. (In 2007, LB voters gave the Mayor "for any reason" removal power over Charter Commissioners [Harbor, Water] if approved by a 2/3 Council vote. Harbor Commissioner Tom Fields (who defied Foster) was the first to feel this lash in Nov. 2013.)
The July 2018 agenda item triggered loud social network pushback (including from some advisory body members) and the Council ultimately laid it over to an unspecified future date. On January 8, 2019, then-City Manager Pat West quietly advised Councilmembers that Mayor Garcia and the City Manager had taken the following steps:
On June 14, 2019, a follow-up memo appeared indicating that city staff planned to move forward with putting changes into effect "that address common administerial enhancements" -- including compensation changes -- before moving forward to implement "the full menu of proposed changes to the advisory bodies..."
For now, it's unclear exactly what limits LB's Mayor-chosen/Council-approved advisory commission members may face if they try to agendize and discuss items that don't meet with city management or Mayor/Council approval. That may become clear only after the Council decides whether members of City Hall-chosen advisory commissions will be paid or paid more for attending their meetings.
[Jan. 8, 2019 memo]...To conduct a thorough review of the City's advisory bodies and receive information from a diverse cohort of stakeholders, the City Manager's Office collaborated with the Mayor's Office to create an informal working group of current Commissioners to review the status of the City's advisory bodies and report back to the City Council. The working group will conduct a comprehensive review of the proposed changes to the City's advisory bodies, as well as provide input and recommendations to the City Manager. Members of the working group will be selected by the Mayor and City Manager.
