Sacramento City Council plans to redo vote on pay raise for Howard Chan

The Sacramento City Council plans to redo a vote on whether to give City Manager Howard Chan and other executives pay increases, as first reported by The Sacramento Bee. 

When the council approved the raises last week, it violated the Brown Act, a California law that requires local government agencies to do business openly and publicly. 

Sacramento City Manager Howard Chan gets sixth raise in 7 years

The Bee reported the violation and the city’s acknowledgement on Tuesday. City spokesperson Tim Swanson confirmed plans to redo the vote to CapRadio on Wednesday. 

“The City agrees that an item regarding the salaries of its charter officers should be voted on at a regular meeting of the Council,” Swanson said in an email. “The City will bring this item back at the next regular meeting of the City Council on Jan. 9.” 

The Brown Act prohibits local government law-making bodies, including the council, from holding special meetings about executives’ salaries. The law requires the council  to vote on executive pay in regularly scheduled meetings instead of during special meetings. 

Unlike regular meetings, for which cities need to post agendas at least 72 hours in advance, cities must give notice for a special meeting at least 24 hours in advance. 

The council approved 5% raises — which were set to take place retroactively — for Chan and other charter officers in a special meeting on Dec. 12. But Swanson said they will not receive any pay increases until the council votes again in January. 

Oher charter officers include the City Attorney, Auditor, Clerk, Treasurer and Director of the Office of Public Safety Accountability. 

The council also voted on labor agreements for two city employee unions in the same special meeting. The Brown Act doesn’t ban local law-making bodies from voting on such agreements in special meetings, however. 

The next regular council meeting on Jan. 9 is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. at City Hall.