Fremont City Council Power, Pay Changes

Fremont’s debate over council power and pay is part of a larger push to decide whether the city should become a charter city in 2026. The City Council voted on February 17 to begin a council-drafted charter process after a referral from Vice Mayor Yajing Zhang, and staff later set up a seven-member Charter Advisory Committee to study what changes should be recommended. The items under discussion go beyond a simple pay raise. They include how much authority elected officials should have over city operations, what support staff the mayor and councilmembers should receive, and whether those changes should be written into a proposed city charter. ### Where did this fight start? On February 17, 2026, the Fremont City Council directed staff to start preparing a possible new city charter for the November 3, 2026 ballot, according to council records. Zhang’s referral said charter status could give Fremont “greater flexibility” and “stronger local control” over municipal affairs, and it proposed an accelerated schedule for drafting a charter with advisory input from residents. (fremontcityca.iqm2.com) On March 3, 2026, the council adopted a work plan that formally established a seven-member Charter Advisory Committee and mapped out a timeline ending with council hearings in June and July. The city’s work plan says the committee would provide recommendations to the council, which would retain authority over the final charter draft sent to voters. ### Why are pay changes tied to charter status? (fremontcityca.iqm2.com) Fremont’s current municipal code sets compensation for the mayor and councilmembers in city law. Chapter 2.05 of the code includes a section on “Compensation of mayor and councilmembers,” showing that elected pay is currently governed under the city’s general-law framework. Committee materials reviewed by local news outlet Open Public Government show compensation was one of the subjects assigned for review as the charter discussion moved forward. (fremontcityca.iqm2.com) The draft resolution establishing the advisory committee said the panel should examine a council office staffing framework and assess support for the mayor and councilmembers, while later committee meetings focused on elected compensation and related benefits. (codepublishing.com) ### What power changes are actually being discussed? The committee’s work has covered more than salary. Local reporting on the committee’s spring meetings said members also debated whether councilmembers should gain a role in confirming city staff candidates, a proposal that would shift some authority closer to elected officials. (fremontcityca.iqm2.com) Fremont’s current structure is a council-manager system, and the city’s official description says the council adopts the budget and major policies while the city manager hires staff and runs day-to-day operations. Some committee members favored keeping that structure, while others discussed versions that would give elected officials more direct influence over administration. ### Who is making the recommendations? (opgov.news) Mayor Raj Salwan’s March 20 referral appointed Dharminder Dewan, Brad Hatton, Rick Jones, Sue Kwong, Kim Marshall, Sathya Sankaran and Ben Yee to the Charter Advisory Committee. The committee is advisory only under the city’s adopted framework, and its recommendations do not change city rules unless the council later adopts them and, for charter provisions, voters approve them. (fremont.gov) The committee’s assignment was broad from the start. The draft resolution creating it called for recommendations on charter provisions, governance structure, staffing support and other municipal design questions that could be folded into a proposed charter. ### How much could council pay or authority change? Publicly available city records do not yet show a final council-approved package of power or pay changes. (fremontcityca.iqm2.com) What they do show is that the committee spent April and May discussing compensation structures and governance options, and that those recommendations are meant to feed into the council’s charter drafting process rather than take effect on their own. (fremontcityca.iqm2.com) The city has also circulated a draft update to its City Council Handbook, a separate rules document that governs council procedures. That draft indicates Fremont is reviewing internal council rules at the same time it is considering broader charter revisions, though a handbook amendment would be distinct from a voter-approved charter change. ### What happens next? (opgov.news) Fremont’s charter work plan says the City Attorney will prepare a charter document after the advisory committee finalizes its recommendations, and the measure must go through at least two public hearings and a final council vote before it can reach the ballot. The city’s schedule targets August 7, 2026 as the deadline for possible placement on the November 3, 2026 ballot. (fremontcityca.iqm2.com) (fremontcityca.iqm2.com)