Lemon Grove increases City Council monthly wage to $950

The Lemon Grove City Council unanimously approved its first pay increase since 2015.

Monthly salaries for City Council members will increase from $803 to $950. The mayor’s monthly salary will increase from $1,405 to $1,662.

The pay hike will not go into effect until results for the 2026 municipal election are certified, as part of a government code that prevents current members from getting a raise during their ongoing terms.

This means the effective date could vary. For example, the pay hike that was approved in 2015 did not go into effect until the November 2016 election was certified in January 2017.

State law caps monthly salaries for council members in cities with a population below 35,000 at $950. Lemon Grove has a population of around 27,000 residents.

The city was facing a financial deficit for a few years following the last pay hike, which prevented any further wage increase, Lemon Grove City Manager Lydia Romero said.

Because of the city’s financial troubles, prior councils had decided not to increase their monthly salaries.

“We have stabilized our finances, we have had a budget surplus these last several years, so the council had asked to bring this back,” Romero said.

On an annual basis, the salary increase will cost the city about an additional $10,000.

Councilmember Jennifer Mendoza said the raise will not be of “significant” cost to the city, noting that city leaders often attend a variety of mee...