Fremont City Council Eyes Power Pay Boost

Fremont officials are considering a package of charter-related changes that could give the City Council broader local authority and revisit how much the mayor and council members are paid. The discussion is part of Fremont’s push to move from a general law city to a charter city, a process the council set in motion on February 17. Any final charter would still need voter approval. City materials say the target is the November 3, 2026 ballot. ### Why is Fremont talking about this now? The Fremont City Council voted 5-2 on February 17, 2026 to move ahead with an accelerated charter-city schedule after a referral submitted by Vice Mayor Yajing Zhang. The city’s charter initiative page says the stated goal is to give Fremont “greater flexibility” and “stronger local control” over municipal affairs, including governance and administrative systems. (fremont.gov) On March 3, 2026, the council approved a charter work plan and created a seven-member Charter Advisory Committee to help review and recommend charter provisions. Mayor Raj Salwan appointed the seven members on March 20, and the committee met weekly from March 23 through April 27 at City Hall. ### What powers could actually change? California’s charter-city framework lets cities write their own rules for some municipal affairs instead of relying entirely on state general-law rules. (fremont.gov) Fremont’s charter initiative page says that could include governance structure, electoral systems and administrative procedures tailored to local needs. The committee’s discussions have included government structure, council authority, meeting structure and council voting, according to a city newsletter summarizing the charter work plan. (fremont.gov) Separate reporting on the committee’s meetings said members debated whether Fremont should keep its council-manager system or move toward a stronger-mayor model, though the city’s official materials reviewed here do not show a final council decision on those points. ### What is the pay question? Compensation for elected officials surfaced as one of the most concrete issues in the charter review. Reporting on an April committee meeting said city staff told the panel that Fremont’s mayor is currently paid $60,949 a year and council members $36,694 a year. The same report said the advisory committee discussed health-benefit allowances and staff support for elected officials, and later reporting said the panel unanimously backed aligning council members’ health benefit allowance with other city employees and recommended 1.5 dedicated staff positions for elected officials, including a half-time allocation for the mayor. (content.govdelivery.com) Those recommendations would not take effect on their own; they would need to be folded into a charter proposal or taken up separately by the council. (opgov.news) ### Does this mean council members can raise their own pay immediately? Fremont’s current structure is still that of a general law city, and the charter process is not complete. The city says a charter must be drafted, reviewed publicly and then approved by a majority of Fremont voters before it takes effect. The advisory committee’s role is also limited. The city’s committee page says the body was created to draft or recommend provisions for the City Council’s consideration, not to enact them. (citizenportal.ai) That means any compensation or power changes under discussion are still proposals until the council decides what to place before voters. (fremont.gov) ### Who is involved in drafting the proposal? Mayor Raj Salwan appointed the advisory committee members: Dharminder Dewan, Brad Hatton, Rick Jones, Sue Kwong, Kim Marshall, Sathya Sankaran and Ben Yee. The city says the council chose to retain full control over development of the proposed charter while using the mayor-appointed committee for structured input. (fremont.gov) Vice Mayor Yajing Zhang has been a central public sponsor of the charter effort. The city’s records identify Zhang’s February referral as the step that launched the council-drafted charter process now underway. ### What happens next? Fremont’s public calendar shows a City Council regular meeting on May 19, 2026, and the city’s charter-priority page says a mid-year progress report is expected in July. (fremont.gov) The stated goal remains to place a charter-city proposal before Fremont voters on November 3, 2026. (fremont.gov)