Ripon Municipal Code Ch. 2.04 City Council

A. Each member of the City Council shall receive a monthly salary, based upon the population of the City, in the amount specified in Section 36516(a)(2) of the California Government Code, or any amendments thereto. In the event Section 36156(a)(2) of the California Government Code is amended to provide an increase in the salaries of the City Council members, the City Council may consider whether to accept said increase at a public meeting after considering public input. Thereafter, the City Council may adopt a resolution approving said increase, or a portion of said increase. B. Each member of the City Council shall also be entitled to receive health benefits at the same level, and including the same coverage, as City employees. Prior to approving any increase in the cost of providing such benefits to City Council members, the City Council may consider whether to accept said increase at a public meeting after considering public input. Thereafter, the City Council may adopt a resolution approving said increase, or a portion of said increase. (Ord. 387 § 1, 1987: Ord. 318 § 1, 1982; Ord. 800 § 1, 2013)

A. Each City Council seat shall be numbered from 1 to 5. The seats numbers will never change.

1. Seat 1 shall always be the Mayor’s seat.
2. Seat 2 shall always be the Vice Mayor’s seat. B. In non-election years, at the first City Council meeting in December of each year, the Council Members shall move seats to the next lowest number (i.e. the person placed in Seat 5 shall move to Seat 4, the person placed in Seat 4 shall move to Seat 3, etc.). As a result, each year, the outgoing Mayor shall move to Seat 5 (subject to moving to a lower seat pursuant to subsection C (2), below) and the new Mayor shall be the person that has been moved to Seat 1. C. In election years, rotation of seats shall occur at the Council reorganization meeting, which follows official certification of the election results by the County Registrar of Voter.
3. Re-elected Council Members shall move to the next lowest open seat in the order held prior to re- election.
4. A newly-elected Council Member (defined as any person who is not re-elected to a successive term) shall fill the highest open seat number. If there is more than one (1) newly-elected Council Member, seat placement shall be determined by the number of votes the newly-elected Council Members received during the election, such that the person who received the highest number of votes shall be assigned to the lowest numbered open Seat. Thus, if there is one new newly-elected Council Member, he/she shall fill Seat 5, and the outgoing Mayor shall fill Seat 4. If there are two or more newly-elected Council Members, they shall fill the highest numbered seats, in an order to be determined as provided in this subsection, and the outgoing Mayor shall fill the next lowest seat below the newly-elected Council Members.
   D. After all seats are filled according to the foregoing procedure, the Council Member in Seat 1 shall be asked to whether s/he is willing to accept the appointment as Mayor. If the Council Member in Seat 1 does not want to be Mayor, s/he can elect to “pass,” in which case, each Council Member shall again move seats to the next lowest number. This process shall continue until such time as the Council Member in Seat 1 agrees to accept the appointment of Mayor. E. If a vacancy occurs on the Council for any reason, other than as a result of the end of a

2.04.020

(12-13)

9 Council Member’s term, the remaining Council Member shall move to the next lowest open seat only to the extent necessary to ensure that Seat 5 shall be the vacant seat. The person who fills the vacancy shall be placed in Seat 5. If more than one vacancy occurs on the Council, the seats shall be assigned to the people who are elected or appointed, as appropriate, to fill the vacancies in the order in which they are elected or appointed. (Ord. 791 §1, 2012; Ord. 800, §2, 2013)

2.06.010

8-4 (11/16)