Elk Grove Weighs Giving City Council Full-Time Assistants
ELK GROVE (CBS13) — The Elk Grove City Council is considering hiring full-time assistants for itself.
Currently, the three City Council members have part-time assignments, each working about two hours a day.
I have a full time job," said City Councilman Steve Ly. "Often people believe City Council is a full time job, but it isn't. And I knew that coming on."
Ly says he and his staff are doing everything they can with the time they are given to meet the needs of Elk Grove residents.
"My priority is to be responsive, to make sure all the issues and all the concerns that my constituents have, I should be able to address. And that becomes a juggling act," he said.
Currently, the city spends about $45,000 a year on part-time assistants. The city is weighing everything between $53,000 for one full-time assistant, or five of them at more than $250,000 a year.
Resident Alex Placencia wonders if that money could be better spent.
"More police, more police and fire, more protection," he said. "That would be a lot better for the city."
Others say they city leaders should make sure they're being as efficient as possible before writing a check.
"Not saying they don't need the help, but they need to take a hard look to make sure they are getting the best bang for their buck that they've got right now," said Allen Kuhn.
Ly says he's not married to the idea of five full-time assistants.
"What I'm looking forward to is an open dialogue so that we can actually explore the possibilities," he said.
