The Pacific Grove City Council voted 5-2 in favor of increasing councilmembers' monthly salary from $420 to $966 and the mayor's monthly salary from $700 to $1,610, on Wednesday, May 7. It's the first increase in council salary since December 1998.
Past councils have tried to increase compensation but have been met with staunch opposition from residents who contend the positions of councilmember and mayor should be essentially voluntary.
It was no different this time, as a line of residents sometimes angrily demanded the council reject any increases.
City Attorney Brian Pierik brought the matter to the council in the wake of changes to a 2023 state law enabling increased compensation for councilmembers. The goal was to help attract a more diverse field of candidates from different income levels.
Other local city councils have already voted in favor of increases, including Marina and Seaside. Both councils used the upper limits of the law to increase compensation. Marina councilmembers went from $200 a month to $2,000. In Seaside monthly compensation increased from $400 to $2,400.
Pacific Grove's Council took a more conservative approach, a flat increase of 5 percent a year since the last increase, between December 1998 and December 2024, 26 years.
"I think it's a pretty reasonable increase. It's lower than a lot of the other communities that have done it," Mayor Nick Smith said. "We do a ton of work here with a very small staff."
Smith said increasing the compensation was "extremely important" to recruiting future candidates.
Councilmember Cynthia Garfield, who voted against an increase when she last served on the council, said she supports it now, calling it a catch-up in pay.
"We've been under compensating for a long time," she said, adding that the state, in its reasoning for encouraging increased compensation was in part to cover the costs of child care. Councilmember Tina Rau added the idea of helping pay for elder care, as well.
"I believe this [increase] is measured, conservative, responsible and is long overdue," Rau said.
She mentioned that the city had been having trouble finding volunteers to fill city boards and commissions, suggesting that the reasons people aren't volunteering may correlate to why it's been hard to find qualified people to run for office.
The council rejected the idea of including medical benefits, saving that discussion for a future time.
The fiscal impact of the raises will be $69,522 a year for the six councilmembers and $19,320 a year for mayor, according to Pierik.
Councilmembers Paul Walkingstick and Lori McDonnell both voted no on the increase. Walkingstick tried convincing the council to put it up to a vote of the people in November 2026. His motion failed 2-5.