May 8, 2025 Special Meeting FRANK LONERGAN,MAYOR
CITY OF WOODBURN VACANT,COUNCILOR WARD I
MARK WILK,COUNCILOR WARD II
CITY COUNCIL & CHARTER JEN CANTU,COUNCILOR WARD III
SHARON SCHAUB,COUNCILOR WARD IV
MARY BETH CORNWELL,COUNCILOR WARD V
REVIEW COMMITTEE ALMA GRIJALVA,COUNCILOR WARD VI
AGENDA KATHY FIGLEY,CHAIR
JOHN ZOBRIST,VICE CHAIR
MAY 8, 2025 - 4:00 P.M. MARK WILK,MEMBER
SHARON SCHAUB,MEMBER
ALMA GRIJALVA,MEMBER
FRANK LONERGAN,MEMBER
CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS-270 MONTGOMERY STREET
1. CALL TO ORDER
2. ROLL CALL
3. GENERAL BUSINESS
A. Stipends for Elected Officials 1
Recommended Action: Accept the report and updated stipend
survey data and direct staff on whether an Ordinance should be
prepared for Council adoption that would implement a stipend
program for elected officials.
4. ADJOURNMENT
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**Habrd int6rpretes disponibles para aquellas personas que no hablan Ingl6s, previo acuerdo.
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May 8, 2025 Charter Review Committee Agenda Page i
WOODBUMN
Inc orpornreA 1889
May 8, 2025
TO: Woodburn City Council & Woodburn Charter Review Committee
FROM: Scott Derickson, City Administrator
McKenzie Granum, City Attorney
SUBJECT: Stipends for Elected Officials
RECOMMENDATION:
Accept the report and updated stipend survey data and direct staff on whether
an Ordinance should be prepared for Council consideration and adoption that
would implement a stipend program for elected officials.
BACKGROUND:
On March 24, 2025, the Council voted to adopt Resolution No. 2248 to formally
establish the City of Woodburn Charter Review Committee, set expectations for
the Committee, and appoint members to the Committee.
One charge of that Committee was to consider whether to recommend the City
Council adopt an ordinance (separate and apart from the Charter amendment
process) that would establish and set a financial stipend for future elected
officials.
Stipends for elected officials at the municipal level of government are generally
nominal sums of money that are meant to reasonably benefit or cover some of
the ancillary costs incurred from serving as an elected official. These stipends are
not meant or intended to provide a primary source of income to city elected
officials who are generally categorized as volunteers.
DISCUSSION:
In December 2019, a staff report was prepared in response to an information
request from the City Council at that time, which was intended to discuss and
provide guidance on the implementation procedure for the Council to adopt a
stipend program for future elected officials. No action was taken at that time on
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Honorable Mayor and City Council
May 8, 2025
Page 2
the information provided in the report. The legal procedures discussed in the
report are still applicable today.
Since 2019, a number of Oregon cities have moved ahead with adoption or
updates to their elected official stipend programs. Included with the materials on
stipends is an updated survey report that provides current stipend amounts for 29
cities in Oregon.
ATTACHMENTS:
• Report of Stipends for Elected Officials (December 9, 2019)
• Updated Stipend Survey - 2025
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P ri,,�<;rrt rr rf aA'!87
December 9, 2019
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Scott Derickson, City Administrator
SUBJECT: Report on Stipends for Elected Officials
RECOMMENDATION:
Accept the report and direct staff on whether further action is desired.
BACKGROUND:
The City of Woodburn previously provided a modest financial stipend to the
Mayor and City Councilors during their terms in office. Issuance of the stipend
was halted during the last economic recession and has not since been
reinstated. The previous stipend provided fifty dollars ($50) per month for the
Mayor and twenty-five dollars ($25) per month for each Councilor.
In March of 2018, the City Administrator requested a legal opinion from the City
Attorney's office setting out the technical requirements and procedure for
restoring a stipend for the City's elected officials. A copy of that memorandum is
available to the Mayor and Councilors to review at their request. A general
synopsis of the implementation procedures is provided below.
While not all cities in Oregon provide a financial stipend to their elected officials,
many comparable cities to Woodburn in size and location do provide stipends
to their Mayor and City Councilors. These stipends vary in amount and issuance
format (i.e. monthly, yearly, etc.), but generally are nominal-type stipends that
are meant to reasonably benefit or cover some of the ancillary costs incurred
from serving as an elected official. These stipends are not meant or intended to
provide a primary source of income to elected officials who are generally
categorized as volunteers.
DISCUSSION:
Currently, the Mayor and City Councilors are eligible for expense reimbursement
for City-related activities (e.g. conferences or travel), however, they do not
receive a financial stipend that may otherwise assist the individual in offsetting
Agenda Item Review: City Administrator_x_ City Attorney_x_ Finance_x_
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out-of-pocket costs associated with serving as an elected official (e.g. time
away from work, costs of childcare during meetings, costs associated with
attending community events, etc.).
In determining whether the restoring of a stipend program is suitable for
Woodburn, it is most important for the Council to first consider how it would set or
establish the stipend amounts and then how it would properly implement or
enact the program.
1 ) Determining a Stipend Amount
In looking at adopting a reasonable and sensible stipend program for the mayor
and city councilors, the Council will have broad discretion to implement an
amount that it believes best fits the community and budgetary constraints of
Woodburn.
In implementing or modifying the amount of a stipend, some jurisdictions utilize a
compensation committee or their budget committees to assist in evaluating and
setting the stipend amount. Usually these committees are formed as
independent advisory-type committees that make an official recommendation
to the Council on whether to implement a stipend program and at what
amounts. The committee may base its decision on any number of factors, but
generally considerations include, scope and expectations of elected positions,
comparable regional stipend practices, and possibly a public survey or
outreach campaign.
Utilization of an advisory committee as part of implementing a stipend program
is completely discretionary and the Council can always elect to undertake its
own review and deliberation on the matter.
In addition to the consideration of a suitable stipend amount, the Council may
also want to consider whether the initial stipend amount should remain stagnant
for an indefinite period of time or whether the stipend should automatically
adjust based on various regional market factors (e.g. CPI). The Council may also
want to consider whether any other compensation benefits such as health
insurance should be provided.
In any event, a review of current jurisdictional practices may be informative and
prudent for the Council during this preliminary consideration period:
MAYOR COUNCILOR
CITY POPULATION STIPEND STIPEND OTHER
(per month (per month
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BEND 95,000 $1066 $533
CA N BY 18,000 $200 $100
CORVALLIS 58,000 $100 None
EUGENE 169,000 $125 $83 City health insurance
(if desired)
FOREST GROVE 24,000 $150 $100 City health insurance
(if desired)
$700 (Pres.) Rec.center annual
HILLSBORO 107,000 $2,000 pass; technology
$500 (Councilor) stipend
KEIZER 39,000 None None
KLAMATH FALLS 21,000 200 50
LAKE OSWEGO 39,000 $390 $172 COLA increases to
stipends
MCMINNVILLE 34,000 None None
MEDFORD 79,000 None None
M I LW A U KI E 21,000 $300 $250
NEWBERG 24,000 $300 $10/nneetin
OREGON CITY 36,000 None None
SALEM 170,000 None None
SPRINGFIELD 60,000 None None
TUALATIN 27,000 $90 Technology stipend
WEST LINN 27,000 $533 $333
WILSONVILLE 24,000 $750 $350 City health insurance
(if desired)
AVERAGE (of cities where a $477 $227
stipend provided):
2) Implementing the Stipend Program
am
If the Council decides that it would like to move forward with implementing a
stipend program for the mayor and councilors, then understanding the
procedure and timeline for implementation is essential.
Under Section 11 of the City's Charter, the mayor and councilors are permitted
to receive compensation for their services and expenses and such amounts are
to be fixed by the Council. The Council could decide to adopt a Resolution that
would provide the stipend and set the stipend amount. The primary aspect of
concern, however, in implementing any compensation stipend for elected
officials is ensuring that the Oregon government ethics law is not violated.
Oregon government ethics law prohibits public officials from using or attempting
to use their official position or office to obtain financial gain for the public
official.' And, while ORS 244.040(2) does allow an elected official to receive a
compensation package as determined by that public body, councilors and the
ORS 244.040(1).
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mayor (if applicable) will be prevented from voting on giving themselves such a
financial benefit. In application, this means that any proposal implementing a
stipend program should apply only to future terms of the councilor, not to their
current term of office.
By implementing the stipend program to become effective only when future
councilors and mayors will be eligible to take office, councilors avoid having an
actual conflict of interest under ORS 244.040(1 ) and would only have a potential
conflict.2 Councilors could then publicly announce the nature of that potential
conflict of interest and then proceed to participate in any discussion, debate, or
vote on the stipend.3
With the current terms of the Council, a stipend could be implemented in a
staggered manner as follows:
• Effective January 2021 Effective January 2023
o Mayor o Ward III Councilor
o Ward I Councilor o Ward IV Councilor
o Ward II Councilor o Ward V Councilor
o Ward VI Councilor
If a staggered implementation is not desired, the Council could also decide to
enact stipends for the mayor and all councilors effective January 2023 or later.
In making either implementation decision, setting the amount of the stipend and
budgeting for the stipend would need to occur in the spring of the year prior to
it going into effect.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
If the Council decides it would like to move Staff time would be required for
preparing any implementation instruments for a stipend program.
The implementation of a stipend program itself would be an expense that would
need to be included as part of the Council's annual budgeting process.
2 Councilors are advised that a potential conflict of interest should be declared for current
council members who would be eligible to run for another term, or who may run for mayor.
3 ORS 244.120(2)(a). In 2018, the City of Bend implemented a stipend program for the mayor and
councilors,with their proposal including provisions for a staggered implementation of the stipend
based on when future councilors would be eligible to take office. Because of the staggered
implementation, their program won't be fully in effect for all councilors until 2021.
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WOODBURN
Inc orpornreA 1889
April 12, 2025
TO: Woodburn Charter Review Committee
FROM: McKenzie Granum, City Attorney
SUBJECT: Updated Stipend Survey - 2025
MAYOR COUNCILOR
CITY POPULATION STIPEND STIPEND OTHER
(per month) (per month)
ST. HELENS 14,400 $ 1,388 $925
$ 1,110 (Pres.)
CA N BY 18,000 $200 $100
SHERWOOD 20,000 None None
AS H LA N D 21,000 $900 $900
KLAMATH FALLS 21,000 $200 $50
M I LW A U KI E 21,000 $300 $250
ROSEBURG 24,000 None None
N EW B ER G 26,000 $300 $200
W ILSONVILLE 26,000 $2,535 $937 City health insurance
$ 1,267 (Pres.) offered
FOREST GROVE 27,000 $312 $208 City health insurance
offered
• $750 Technology
27,000 stipend/year
TUALATIN None None . $20 credit on water
bill/month
WEST LINN 27,000 $533 $333
HAPPY VALLEY 28,000 None None
MCMINNVILLE 34,000 None None
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OREGON CITY 37,000 None None
REDMOND 37,000 $900 $500
KEIZER 39,000 None None
LAKE OSWEGO 40,000 $390 $172
TIGARD 56,000 $4,795 $629 City health insurance
offered
ALBANY 57,000 $185 $130 $50/month technology
stipend
$360
CORVALLIS 61,000 $560 $410 (vp)
$460 Pres.
SPRINGFIELD 61,000 None None
MEDFORD 85,000 None None
$ 11,204
BEAVERTON 97,000 (classified as full- $2,089
time employee)
• Stipend w/COLA
• City Health Insurance
offered @ 90%
BEND 105,000 $4,166 $2,500 premium coverage
• Additional
$3,000/year health
and wellness stipend
• Rec. center annual
$1,050 pass;
HILLSBORO 107,000 $4,000 $1,300 (Pres.) • Technology stipend
• City health insurance
offered
$2,361 City health insurance
GRESHAM 110,000 $5,780 offered @ 50% premium
$2,588 (Pres.) coverage
EUGENE 177,000 $2,374 $1,584 City health insurance
offered
SALEM 177,000 None None
AVERAGE (of surveyed cities
where a stipend is provided; $723 $416
population < 50,000)
AVERAGE (of all surveyed cities
where a stipend is provided; $1,657 $804
($1,345 Pres)
excluding City of Beaverton):
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