The City of Brea fosters public engagement by encouraging residents to participate on City commissions. Such commissions include the Cultural Arts Commission; Parks, Recreation & Human Services Commission; and the Planning Commission. Each of these citizen groups plays an important role in the Brea community by making observations and bringing ongoing feedback to the Brea City Council Members. Citizen volunteers also play a role in the conduct of governmental affairs and provide an important element in achieving the goals of the City.
Various commissions have different areas of expertise. At regular meetings, commissioners work with staff members and may be asked to review proposed new projects or to comment on activities already underway around the City. While there is currently no compensation for participation on commissions, the service given is meaningful to all Brea residents.
On November 16, 2021, the City Council had an initial discussion regarding whether to compensate commissioners moving forward. At that meeting, the City Council agreed that Planning Commissioners should be compensated, pending their review of the financial outlook of the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 budget.
Since that time, staff has estimated to compensate Planning Commissioners $50 per meeting, with a maximum of $100 per month. However, staff is bringing back this item for City Council review and any further direction on compensation for City commissioners.
As a bit of background, below provides information on the City's previous policies regarding compensating commissioners:
City of Brea Commissioner Compensation Timeline
November 2, 1964
- Ordinance No. 370 authorized the compensation of Planning Commissioners, Personnel Commissioners, and Parks and Recreation Commissioners.
- All commissioners received $10 per meeting, not to exceed $20 per month.
September 14, 1970
- Ordinance No. 476 amended Ordinance No. 370, increasing the Planning Commission compensation to $20 per meeting, not to exceed $40 per month (Personnel Commissioners and Parks & Recreation Commissioners compensation remained unchanged).
December 9, 1986
- Ordinance No. 816 amended City Municipal Code to establish compensation amounts for all commissioners per meeting via resolution, including commissioners on the:
- Planning Commission
- Parks, Recreation & Human Services Commission
- Human Resource Commission
- Cultural Arts Commission
- Also permitted the City Council to provide compensation for travel expenses, meals, lodging and related expenses necessarily incurred by commissioners during the performance of their official duties, including attendance at seminars, conferences or training courses approved by the City Council.
January 20, 1987
- Resolution No. 87-6 established the compensation rates for commissioners as follows:
- Planning Commission - $50 per meeting, not to exceed $150 per month
- Parks, Recreation & Human Services Commission - $30 per meeting, not to exceed $90 per month
- Human Resource Commission- $30 per meeting, not to exceed $90 per month
- Cultural Arts Commission - $30 per meeting, not to exceed $90 per month
December 20, 1988
- Resolution No. 88-148 established new rates for Planning Commissioners, which increased to $75 per meeting, not to exceed $225 per month. All other commissioner compensation remained unchanged.
March 21, 1995
- Resolution No. 95-36 repealed Resolution No. 87-6, declaring that incumbent and future commissioners will serve on a voluntary basis.
April 3, 2001
- Resolution No. 01-28 allowed "expense allowances" to City Commissioners in lieu of compensation. The expense allowances provided:
- Planning Commissioners - $75 per month
- Parks, Recreation, and Human Services Commissioners - $30 per month
- Cultural Arts Commissioners - $30 per month
June 1, 2004
- Resolution No. 04-40 repealed Resolution No. 01-28, declaring that incumbent and future commissioners will serve on a voluntary basis.
For additional information, staff reached out to cities in California to see if and how they compensate commissioners. A list of results is attached from those who responded. |