Pittsburg councilmembers to get a pay bump for first time in 30 years

PITTSBURG For the first time in years councilmembers in Pittsburg will receive a salary increase but it won t take effect until late The Pittsburg City Council on Monday unanimously approved an ordinance updating its municipal code to raise compensation from per month a rate set in to per month The increase will take effect on Dec after the next general electoral contest Melaine Venenciano Pittsburg s director of city clerk services disclosed the salary hike in was determined based on the city s population estimated to be between and at the time In Senate Bill allowed general law city councils which includes Pittsburg to adjust their stipend for inflation in order to encourage more diverse elected bodies Under SB councilmembers in cities with populations between and can be compensated up to The recommended amount recognizes that while Pittsburg by law may compensate up to per month its population is in the lower end of the population range stated Venenciano According to a staff summary general law cities in Contra Costa County offer a range of compensation Of the in the county Pittsburg has the third-highest population but its City Council compensation is the third-lowest In Antioch and Concord councilmembers are paid monthly while Brentwood pays In Oakley increased councilmembers pay from per month to per month Venenciano noted that current state law does not include any amounts paid by a city for retirement healthcare and welfare and federal social safeguard benefits unless the same benefits are available and paid by the city for its employees And that is the scenario here in Pittsburg since the city does make available and pay for these benefits revealed Venenciano Mayor Jelani Killings commented the salary revision reflects not just changes in state law but also the duties responsibilities and commitment for members serving on the City Council I think we all know that nobody runs for City Council for the salary But I think what it does take into note is in terms of the requirement the demand that is placed on councilmembers and serving in this threshold explained Killings Separately the City Council also on Monday unanimously approved an employment agreement for Darin Gale as Pittsburg s next city manager A file photo of Brentwood's Assistant City Manager Darin Gale Courtesy of Brentwood City Gale is in the present the assistant city manager in Brentwood He will begin his duties as Pittsburg s next city manager on Dec drawing a base salary of annually On Monday Gale mentioned he was humbled by the opportunity I love local leadership because you re able to connect with the local region What the employees of the city of Pittsburg do here on a daily basis touches the lives of our residents commented Gale The decisions that are made in this room during council meetings directly affect the residents of this city more so than anything that s happening in the state and federal regime Councilmember Juan Antonio Banales stated he is excited to have Gale on board as he brings extensive experience in economic enhancement I think a sign of a strong organization and area is one that every so often looks and says what can we continue to improve on What is the next years going to look like mentioned Banales And sometimes that involves bringing outside perspective and Mr Gale brings that to us Councilmember Angelica Lopez disclosed one of the things she observed about Gale is that he has the heart of a servant I think of Pittsburg as my baby and who would you entrust your baby to It has to be with someone that you know has a good heart or that appears to have the best interest of the people revealed Lopez I have personally observed certain things seeing the comments that Brentwood residents are saying about Mr Darin just reaffirmed our decision and I look forward to having our constituents say that about Darin one day Gale has a master s degree in business administration from Drexel University and a bachelor s degree in economics from Sacramento State University He is also a graduate of the Harvard Senior Executives in State and Local Regime venture Prior to moving to Brentwood Gale was a senior advancement project manager with the city of Sacramento where he oversaw a federally funded small business loan operation and established an economic incentive initiative to attract businesses He also spent years in Yuba City in various roles including as deputy city manager