Folsom’s City Council is poised to vote itself a dramatic raise that would roughly triple what members earn now, while also nudging the city manager’s salary a bit higher. The proposal on Tuesday’s agenda would lift council pay to about $22,800 a year and increase the city manager’s base pay to roughly $332,072. The council is scheduled to take up the measures at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, at Folsom City Hall. The ordinance, if approved, would not kick in until after winners of the Nov. 3 election are sworn in.
According to a staff report first outlined by The Sacramento Bee, the council pay proposal amounts to roughly a 217% increase over current part-time compensation and pairs that with about a 4% raise for City Manager Bryan Whitemyer. Staff compared salaries with six other cities and concluded that the new figures would land Folsom somewhere in the middle of that peer group. The Bee also notes that city staff plan to livestream the meeting for residents who cannot make it to City Hall.
Official salary tables list Folsom councilmembers at $7,560 a year and the city manager’s base at about $319,300 as of Jan. 1, 2026, according to the City of Folsom. Those baseline numbers are part of why staff argue that recent changes in state law give cities room to move part-time council pay closer to the workload and responsibilities the job now involves. The Tuesday meeting is set for the council chambers at City Hall, 50 Natoma Street.
State Law Opened The Door
Senate Bill 329, approved in 2023 and effective Jan. 1, 2024, raised the population-based caps on what cities can pay councilmembers and allows annual adjustments either by a fixed 5% or by a California CPI-based formula capped at 10% per year. Lawmakers promoted the change as a way to make local elected office more realistic for people who are not already financially secure, and to modernize council pay that, in many places, had not been updated for decades. The bill text and signing materials spell out the mechanics city staff used when building Folsom’s proposed pay figures (Governor's office).
Budget Context
The timing of the proposal is touchy. Folsom has been pursuing multi-year cost savings and internal restructuring to narrow gaps in the general fund, a backdrop that is almost certain to color public reaction. City budget documents and staff analyses describe millions in recommended savings and organizational changes as part of recent mid-year adjustments, a set of tradeoffs critics are likely to highlight during public comment. Those same staff materials are included in the packet the council will review Tuesday (City of Folsom).
What Comes Next
Under current law, and as staff note in the packet, any changes to council compensation must be debated in open session at a minimum of two meetings, and increases cannot take effect until one or more councilmembers begin a new term. That timing rule is written into state statute to block officials from raising their own pay mid-term (California Legislature). If the council gives staff clear direction Tuesday, an ordinance would return for a second reading and final vote at a later meeting.
Public comment is expected to be lively. Supporters of the increase are likely to argue that better pay helps recruit a broader pool of candidates and makes serving feasible for people who hold regular jobs or support families. Opponents are likely to zero in on budget stress, political optics and the awkwardness of elected officials voting on their own compensation.
The meeting will take place in the City Council chambers at Folsom City Hall, 50 Natoma Street, and will be livestreamed for remote viewers, according to The Sacramento Bee. Residents can speak during public comment in person or use the city’s procedures for remote participation. However the vote falls, Folsom’s decision will serve as an early test of how SB 329 plays out in suburbs trying to balance recruitment, fairness and tight budgets.
