Since 1984, state law has set City Councilmember compensation at $300/month, as implemented by City Municipal Code section 2.04.060. State law allows, but does not require, annual increases to a Councilmember’s compensation not to exceed 5 percent of a Councilmember’s base compensation, something which was implemented by American Canyon in 2004. Accordingly, the current compensation for American Canyon Councilmembers is $315.00/month. Aside from the 2004 inflationary adjustment, the Council’s base pay has not been raised since 1984. Recently, Senate Bill 329 (Dodd) amended existing law to provide for higher compensation that may help city councils across California become more diverse because increased compensation can help individuals from across different income levels receive sufficient income from their service to help ensure that they can continue to serve the public and support their families. According to Senator Dodd, raising the Councilmember pay in general law cities will improve diverse representation and increase access to elected offices for all Californians by making it less of a financial challenge to publicly serve. For cities with populations 35,000 and less (American Canyon was estimated in 2022 to have a population of 21,432), SB 329 (Codified as Government Code section 36516) would raise Councilmember pay to $950.00/month after the adoption of a local ordinance implementing the updated state law. SB 329 also authorizes, but does not require, annual adjustments based on a prescribed cost of living formula. Pursuant to SB 329, an Ordinance was presented to the American Canyon City Council in two properly noticed public meetings, in which the public was invited to attend and give comment. Those meetings occurred on October 3, 2023 and October 17, 2023 resulting in Ordinance adoption, therefore increasing Councilmember base compensation to $950 per month. SB 329 took effect on January 1, 2024. However, American Canyon Councilmember’s base compensation will not be increased to $ 950 until after the next Council election in November of 2024 – meaning that the current compensation ($315/month) will remain the base compensation until after the next general election in 2024.