Higher Stipends, Childcare Reimbursements To Broaden Who Can Serve On Mill Valley City Council

MILL VALLEY, CA — The Mill Valley City Council voted early June to move forward with raising council stipends from $350 to $650 per month and directed staff to create a reimbursement program for childcare and dependent adult care costs incurred while performing official duties.

Vice Mayor Caroline Joachim, who led the policy push, said the stipend had not changed since 2007 and that there was no cost‑of‑living adjustment under state law.

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“The issue tonight really is about almost two decades of staying at that same number,” Joachim said. She said the goal was to recalibrate council pay so it better reflected the time commitment and the baseline that reflects the work and the values and the accessibility we want for council service in Mill Valley.

Joachim said she wanted residents with full-time jobs, children and caregiving responsibilities to see council service as realistic, not limited to retirees or those with significant financial flexibility.

Councilmember Urban Carmel said he supported the increase and called for pairing it with targeted caregiver support and broader access for future council candidates.

“I was going to make basically the exact same offer, I was going to say 600, but 650 is basically the same amount,” Carmel said, describing the new level as roughly tracking inflation since 2007. He also backed extending childcare and eldercare reimbursement to city boards and commissions.

Councilmember Stephen Burke emphasized that the city should support residents who volunteer at lower levels of government, not only councilmembers.

“I do believe that the people who volunteer at that level don't always know what they're getting into when they do, and then they get into it, and they step up, and they do a lot of work,” Burke said. “I'm happy with 650 as proposed by the Vice Mayor, and I would like to see the stipend extended to our boards and commissions.”

Under state law, the stipend increase will not take effect until after the next council election and only for members beginning a new term. The council also asked staff to return with specific reimbursement rules, including receipt requirements and annual caps, and to analyze how a caregiver support program could be extended to commissions that meet regularly.