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Brooke Olsen
Associate City Attorney
- 541-693-2160
- bolsen@bendoregon.gov

Council Compensation Review Committee

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On September 20, 2023, the City Council appointed the Council Compensation Review Committee to consider and recommend an increase in the monthly stipend paid to council members and the mayor, and also to review and consider whether to recommend providing health care benefits to council members and the mayor.

Timeline Committee Members Meetings Supporting Documents

In 2018, the City Council adopted a resolution to place a measure on the May 2018 ballot to remove Council member compensation from the City of Bend Charter, to be set instead by ordinance after consideration of the recommendation of an independent advisory committee. Council formed a committee to recommend a Council member compensation ordinance to take effect after an intervening election (January 2019 or January 2021, depending on the position) if the ballot measure passed. The ballot measure passed on May 15, 2018. Ordinance NS-2306 therefore went into effect and was codified in Bend Municipal Code Section 1.10.040.

Section 1.10.040 states Council should reappoint an advisory committee every five years, starting in 2023, to review and reevaluate compensation and consider a recommendation, if any, to be implemented after the next election cycle. The Council Compensation Review Committee was recently formed under this Section. Applying a data-driven approach, the Committee will provide a recommendation to Council on an increase of the current monthly service stipend as set by Ordinance NS-2306. This will include available comparison information of other city council member and mayor compensation/stipends from the League of Oregon Cities and elsewhere, and available and relevant information on supporting and encouraging a wider diversity of people to serve on council. Based on information provided by the Human Resources and Legal departments, the Committee will also review and consider whether to recommend providing health care benefits (or an alternative) to the mayor and council members.

The Committee is an independent advisory body. If Council votes to adopt the Committee’s recommendation, the recommendation will be by ordinance and be an amendment to the City’s code. Under state ethics law, any changes in compensation for councilors (including the stipend or benefits) can only take effect for each councilor/mayor position after there has been an intervening election for that position (here, after new members take the oath of office either January 2025 or January 2027, depending on the seat). In other words, a councilor cannot effectuate a change in their own compensation during their current term.

TIMELINE

This will be a temporary committee, meeting three to four times between October 2023 and early 2024, with a recommendation anticipated for Council consideration at a work session and then adoption of a revised code in spring of 2024.