SANTEE CITY COUNCIL TO VOTE ON 5 PERCENT RAISES

By Mike Allen

April 7, 2025 (Santee) -- Santee’s City Council and its mayor are looking at giving themselves a 5 percent pay hike at the Council’s next meeting on April 9, if they agree with the recommendations of the citizens salary setting advisory committee.

The committee voted April 2 to boost the pay for the council’s part time jobs, as well as giving them a $100 monthly raise in their gas allowance, and maintaining a $90 per month technology allowance.

The committee said the increases should apply to the next two fiscal years, 2025-26, starting July 1, and for the following fiscal year.

The projected pay hikes exceed the current national cost of living increase, which was 2.8 percent as of February, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and are more than the last round of pay increases the Santee Council approved in 2023, which was 4 percent for each of the next fiscal years.

According to the agenda report on the upcoming meeting, the current monthly salaries for the mayor and councilmembers are $3,246 and $1,926 respectively.

Should the five-member board agree on the citizen committees recommendations, the mayor’s annual salary will increase to $40,899 in 2025-26, while the annual salary for a councilmember will be $24,267.

The committee is also recommending that the monthly auto allowance for the mayor increase to $650, and for councilmembers to $550. The $90 monthly technology allowance is at the very top of a comparison chart of other county cities, tied with Vista and Poway. Most cities don’t provide anything for technology spending, aimed at subsidizing cell phone and computer bills.

In other actions included in the upcoming meeting, the council will consider moving funds from its general fund to cover upcoming costs associated with building a new community center behind the Cameron YMCA. The cost for the long-planned project has increased to $23.5 million, up from the previous estimate of $21 million. Santee has spent $1.15 million on designing and engineering the facility.