Torrance League Seeks Review of Council Wages, Term Length

The Torrance League of Women Voters is calling for a thorough review of the City Charter, arguing that some sections are obsolete and that the guidelines for paying City Council members are misleading.

The group also favors limiting council members to two consecutive terms, saying that could promote a larger field of candidates in council races. League President Lynitta Schaffer presented the group’s recommendations to the council Tuesday night, urging officials “to set in motion the wheels of change.”

Mayor Katy Geissert referred the matter to a council committee, a step league members supported.

One key recommendation is to remove the charter provision for paying council members $100 a month. Instead, the league proposes that council salaries be set as part of the budget process each year.

Geissert said Wednesday that she agrees with some league suggestions but not others.

The current $100-a-month charter compensation for council members is too low to be realistic, Geissert said. But she disagrees with the league’s proposal to limit council members to two consecutive four-year terms.

However, Geissert said, “it’s not a bad idea to look at a basic document.”

Councilman Dan Walker found fault with several of the proposed changes.

“I don’t want a raise. I don’t want to ask for a raise,” Walker said. “You serve as an elected official because you like it.” Walker, who has been on the council since 1979, said he also dislikes the two-term limit.

All council members have completed at least one term.

The proposals will be reviewed by the council’s Employee Relations and Department Organization Committee, chaired by Councilwoman Dee Hardison. No deadline for a decision was set.

The 90-member Torrance league has recommended charter changes in the past, some of which have been adopted. Its current proposals grew out of a yearlong study of the charter, the basic document governing city operations.

In its report, the league asked for the appointment of a special committee including residents to examine the charter and recommend changes.

Geissert said she is not ready to decide whether that sort of review is needed and will await a report from Hardison’s group. Charter changes would have to be approved by voters.

The league report suggested that a charter review should pay special attention to the issues of council terms and compensation and the question of whether the city treasurer and city clerk should be appointed. The posts are now filled by election, and league members could not reach consensus on whether that should be changed, Schaffer said.

City Clerk John Bramhall said Wednesday that he favors the City Council appointing the clerk, just as it appoints the city manager and city attorney. City Treasurer Thomas C. Rupert was unavailable for comment.

The league agreed that specific pay amounts for council members should not be mentioned in the charter. Instead, council pay should be taken up as a budget item each year, Schaffer said.

The current monthly pay of $100, stipulated in the charter, is misleading because it does not include the compensation that council members can receive from other accounts, league members said.

For instance, they are paid a flat automobile allowance of $410 a month and up to $250 for other expenses, Schaffer said.

Schaffer also noted that because of fluctuations in the cost of living, any amount set in the charter can quickly become outdated. Some other sections of the charter are now outdated because of legislative changes, she told the council.