Pasadena’s mayor and city councilmembers could be in line for noticeably larger expense reimbursements — including two entirely new allowance categories — under an updated policy headed to the City Council.
The proposed policy would then go before the City Council for a March 2 vote.
Despite its legacy title, “Policy for Reimbursement for Travel and Expenses,” the proposal has almost nothing to do with travel. It instead restructures the categories and caps governing how elected officials are reimbursed for the everyday costs of holding office — from childcare and family care to office setup and security — in the most significant overhaul of council compensation in nearly two decades.
The changes stem from the first Committee on City Councilmembers’ Compensation to convene since 2001. Under the proposal, the mayor’s general expense and childcare cap would jump from $6,000 to $11,000, while the same allowance for councilmembers would rise from $3,600 to $6,000, according to a staff report from the City Manager’s Office.
Three existing categories — telecommunications, cellular, and computer — would be eliminated entirely, replaced by two new ones: a Family Care Reimbursement Allowance of up to $18,000 per year for both the mayor and councilmembers, and an Office Setup, Operations, and Security Reimbursement Allowance of up to $20,000 per term. Neither category existed under the current policy framework, which dates to Resolution 8596, adopted in 2006 and amended in 2007.
The estimated annual fiscal impact is up to $314,000, fully funded by the General Fund. Of that total, $135,000 reflects increases to the monthly stipend, while up to $179,000 covers the expanded reimbursable allowances. “The actual cost of the increases to the reimbursable allowances may be lower depending on utilization rates,” the staff report states.
The overhaul traces to November 2024, when Pasadena voters approved Measure PA, amending City Charter Section 405 to require a compensation review committee be convened at least once every five years. Before the current committee’s appointment on June 16, 2025, the issue of council compensation had been studied only twice in 26 years.
The committee held seven meetings between June 30 and Sept. 24, 2025, and submitted its report to the City Council on Sept. 29, according to the staff report. It reviewed the provisions of Pasadena Municipal Code Section 2.05.220, which states that “the Mayor and members of the City Council may be reimbursed for actual and reasonably necessary expenses incurred in the performance of City business.”
On Oct. 26, 2025, the City Council voted to accept the committee’s recommendations and directed the City Attorney to prepare an ordinance incorporating the changes, with reimbursement adjustments effective July 1, 2026, and stipend increases taking effect Jan. 1, 2027.
The proposed resolution would formally update the longstanding reimbursement policy to align with the forthcoming ordinance. Staff wrote that the updated policy “provides continued transparency and good governance protocols by defining eligible expenses and placing reasonable limitations on reimbursable expenses.” It also addresses how allowances are managed during partial terms and how the council and staff handle scenarios not anticipated in the policy.
The resolution additionally re-adopts, without changes, a separate policy governing reimbursements for officials appointed by the City Council to serve on commissions or committees. No changes to that policy are being contemplated, according to the staff report, but it is bundled into the same resolution for administrative purposes.
The proposal went before the Finance Committee on Feb. 9 before advancing to the full council. Funding for the increases will be included in the City Council Department’s fiscal year 2027 recommended operating budget.
Get our daily Pasadena newspaper in your email box. Free.
Get all the latest Pasadena news, more than 10 fresh stories daily, 7 days a week at 7 a.m.
