City Council Adjusts Benefit Payments

Moreno Valley >> The Moreno Valley City Council recently announced steps they have taken to adjust the level of benefit payments to Council Members which were incorrectly calculated since 2007. This situation came to light as the city continues to implement a new financial management software system. Council Members were unaware of this situation until it was recently brought to their attention. They immediately directed City staff to adjust benefit payment amounts. City Council Members receive monthly compensation that includes salary and benefits. City employee benefits are generally set using a base amount plus an additional percentage of salary. In 2007, the percentage was incorrectly applied to an average of executive management salaries when it should have been applied to the Council salary at the time. To remedy this longstanding technical problem, City Council benefits were corrected as of January 1, 2016 and correspond directly to a base amount provided to new employees. This issue does not affect the monthly compensation provided to members of the City Council. As prescribed in Section 2.04.050 of the Moreno Valley Municipal Code, Council Members receive monthly compensation of $1,101. This amount has not changed since the Council's adoption of Ordinance 722 on July 11, 2006. In the interest of transparency, the City Council also directed the Interim City Attorney to solicit preliminary proposals from qualified firms to review City financial procedures to determine the extent to which existing practices best meet the needs of the City or could be enhanced.