A salary increase, new skateboard rules, and a request to reconsider placing a signal light at Fourth and Alameda top the city council’s agenda for Tuesday, December 6.
City Council Compensation
It has been 20 years since city council members have had a raise. Currently each council member earns $435 per month. In November 2018 that could double to $870 a month.
For a city the size of Coronado, the California Government Code allows a maximum 5% annual pay increase. This can accrue back to the last salary increase. Since the city council hasn’t had a raise since 1996, the council could vote for a 100% increase in monthly pay.
Currently it’s comparable to Del Mar ($300) and Imperial Beach ($300). If the council were to double its compensation, it would be closer to Solana Beach ($712.58) and San Marcos ($977.64), according to the city staff’s report.
Besides the pay raise, the council will also consider placing an initiative on the November 2018 General Election ballot to index salaries to the cost of living.
Skateboarding Rules
The ordinance prohibiting skate boarding or roller skating on roadways may be lifted. Mayor-elect Richard Bailey made the proposal and asked the city staff to report back on the feasibility of making the change. His proposal also received strong support from outgoing Mayor Casey Tanaka.
Traffic Light Protest
Responding to requests from residents, Councilwoman Carrie Downey wants to revisit the traffic light at Fourth and Alameda. More than 50 people, who live near the intersection, signed a petition questioning the benefits.
According to a traffic study commissioned by the city, traffic signals along Fourth would create a platooning effect on traffic leaving Naval Air Station and would make it safer for pedestrians and bicyclists to cross at A, B and C Avenues, where two serious accidents and numerous near misses have occurred. Since 10 blocks separate A Avenue and Alameda, some question whether the one traffic signal that far away would make any difference.
The vote to install the signal was 4-1. Downey was in the majority. Still she believes the residents’ questions should be addressed. “I think it is worth reviewing with traffic experts again to see if there is any mitigation that would make it safer,” she wrote in an e-mail to Coronado Times.
The council meets at 4pm in the Coronado City Council Chambers at 1825 Strand Way.
