Cathedral City Municipal Code Art. VI Elective Officials

The elective officers of the City of Cathedral City shall be five Council Members, each of whom shall have the right to vote on all questions coming before the Council, and one City Treasurer, who shall not be entitled to vote on questions coming before the City Council.

The City Council members shall be elected at a general municipal election on even numbered years, three City Council member beginning in 2018 and two City Council members beginning in 2020, each for a four year term. Each member of the City Council shall continue to be elected by the voters of the entire City without regard to residency districts until, (a) the first regular election occurring after the official population of the City reaches 65,000, as calculated by the California Department of Finance, or (b) the general municipal election held in 2022, whichever is the first to occur and by which time the City Council shall have established a by-district election system for City Council members. The City Council is hereby authorized to initiate and approve the formation of a by-district election system for City Council members, in accordance with the California Voting Rights Act, prior to the occurrence of either of the above-referenced thresholds, should the Council determine, in its discretion, that a change in election system best suits the needs of the City.

Eligibility for the offices of City Council members and City Treasurer shall be as mandated by general law.

Effective at the end of the current term of the elected Mayor, the position of Mayor shall become an appointed, rotating position. The City Council at the first meeting in December each year, shall appoint a Council Member to serve as Mayor for a one-year period on a rotating basis. After the City Council appoints the Mayor, at the first meeting in December each year, the Council shall appoint a Council Member to serve as Mayor Pro Tem for a one-year period on a rotating basis. The process for appointment of the Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem shall be implemented by ordinance of the City Council in accordance with this section.

The Mayor shall preside at all meetings of the City Council and perform such other duties consistent with the office as may be imposed by the Council or by the vote of the people. The Mayor shall be entitled to vote, and must vote when present, except as prohibited by State Law, but shall possess no veto power. As presiding officer of the Council, the Mayor will faithfully communicate the will of the Council majority to the Administrative Officers in matters of policy. The Mayor shall be recognized as the official head of the City for all ceremonial purposes.

The then-current salary of the Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem and Council Members shall be reviewed and adjusted annually beginning with the first pay period after July 1 of each year based on the change in the consumer price index for all urban consumers (CPI-U) for the Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, CA average for all items, 1982-84=100, as published by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics or the most closely equivalent successor thereto in the event the index is terminated or changed. The "base index" for the adjustment shall be the index for December 2015. Regardless of the CPI-U, in no case shall the salaries be increased by more than 3% in any given year, or exceed a maximum of $2,500 per month.

In the event that the City Council approves or imposes a salary decrease upon a group of City employees represented by a recognized bargaining group for any reason, Council salaries shall be decreased by a corresponding percentage effective at the same time the employee salary decrease becomes effective. If multiple groups of City employees experience reductions in salary that go into effect during the same fiscal year, the City Council's salary shall be reduced by the largest percentage reduction experienced by an employee group. If multiple groups of City employees experience reductions in salary that are implemented on a staggered basis throughout the fiscal year, City Council salaries shall be reduced by the highest percentage reduction experienced by an employee group then in effect. For example, if one employee group has a salary decrease of 2% effective July 1 and another group has a salary decrease of 3% effective September 1, Council salaries shall be decreased by 2% effective July 1 and on September 1 the Council's salary shall be decreased by an additional 1%.

In the event that a Council seat becomes vacant, for whatever reason, prior to the expiration of the term, the City Council may hold a special election to fill the vacancy or it may appoint a qualified individual to fill the vacancy. If the Council appoints a qualified individual to fill the vacancy, the appointment shall adhere to the following: If the vacancy occurs less than six months after the most recent Council election, the candidate from the election receiving the next highest vote total shall be appointed by the City Council. If there is no next highest candidate, or if the next highest candidate declines the appointment, or if the vacancy occurs more than six months after the most recent election the Council shall appoint a qualified elector to fill the remaining term, except that if a regularly scheduled election will occur prior to the end of the term then the appointment shall only be until that next regularly scheduled election.

The powers and duties of the Treasurer shall be those established in California Government Code for municipal treasurers and such duties as the City Council may, from time to time, assign to the Treasurer by ordinance.