We start the night with a study session regarding comprehensive revisions to Sunnyvale’s sign code. We’ve had occasional complaints that certain businesses can’t do what they need to do to make their presence known and attract customers. But it’s not as simple as just letting them do what they want, because there are certain types of signage that tend to be viewed by the public as blight – things like large hanging banners, colored flags, blow-up figures, and other non-traditional signage are often not well-received. So the city is looking at a comprehensive overhaul of the signage ordinances to address concerns that have been raised.
No presentations or special orders of the day, so we get right to it. The consent calendar has the annual agreement between the city and Silicon Valley Leadership, a budget modification related to our acquiring Onizuka, a contract for the redesign of the Sunnyvale/Old San Francisco interchange, and a proposed agreement regarding a senior housing project.
Then it’s to general business. Item 2 involves our annual progress report to the California Department of Housing regarding how well we’re conforming to our Housing Element. This is a necessary step if we’re to be eligible for certain types of future grant funding.
Item 3 is a discussion of a possible contract amendment for the City Manager regarding salary. The bulk of the discussion involves the CM’s “control point”. When we hire senior staff, we use a salary survey to establish the position’s “control point”, and then we hire the person with a starting salary below that control point, meaning that they start work below “industry standard” for the position. The exact starting salary depends on factors like the hire’s previous salary or other conditions of employment, with some hires lower or higher than other. Then after six months, and every year after the six month point, the employee’s performance is reviewed and the salary modified accordingly, until it reaches the control point. This is independent of normal cost of living increases. This was supposed to happen for the City Manager, but he started work in 2008 when the recession was starting, and his salary has been frozen since his hire by mutual agreement. So the discussion will involve whether or not to address this.
And that’s about it.
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