Folsom City Council members narrowly voted Tuesday to triple their salaries.
Currently, council members earn $7,200 a year, according to the city staff report. Starting in December, the five-person council will each earn $22,800 a year — a 217% increase.
Mayor Justin Raithel said he placed the item on the agenda to attract candidates to run in the Nov. 3 election. If the council approves the raises, the higher salaries would take effect when the winners of that election begin their terms in December. The seats held by Council members Mike Kozlowski, Sarah Aquino and Anna Rohrbough are up for reelection.
The vote came as the city faced an approximately $3 million general fund deficit, driven by rising pension costs, flat revenue growth and long-term underinvestment in infrastructure, Raithel said during his January State of the City address. However the city is no longer facing a deficit or the budget that starts July 1, said Christine Brainerd, a city spokesperson.
“Who do we want to step up and run for council in the future I think is what this is about,” Raithel said during Tuesday’s council meeting. “Who do we want to step up and fill this role in the years ahead?”
Councilmember Barbara Leary said she wanted the city to instead focus funds on core services before considering council raises.
“We have to do some things like make sure that … public safety is up to par for our region, that we’re able to keep the things that brought all the people here to Folsom functioning and intact,” Leary said.
Ultimately, the raises passed 3-2, with Leary and Councilmember Sarah Aquino voting against. Aquino mentioned seeing the item on the agenda had been a “surprise.”
Kozlowski said he would decline any increase in his pay for the remainder of his time on the council.
Sacramento County Supervisor Rosario Rodriguez, who represents Folsom and previously served as a council member, spoke during Tuesday night’s meeting in favor of the raises, saying she had worked many hours when she was on the council.
City manager also gets raise
Also at Tuesday’s meeting the council approved a raise for City Manager Bryan Whitemyer.
Whitemyer, who started the job last year, received a raise bringing his annual salary to $332,072 from $319,296 — about a 4% increase after roughly 14 months in the role.
During closed session, the council determined the city manager’s performance in his first year exceeded expectations, Raithel said during the open session. No city unions had their salaries frozen in the latest cycle of contract negotiations, he said.
“During this last year he has right sided our city,” Vice Mayor Anna Rohrbough said. “Right now we are living in a balanced budget.”
City officials have said recent budget actions — including service reductions and staffing changes — were aimed at closing the deficit without relying on reserves and stabilizing the city’s long-term finances.
Whitemyer was hired in March 2025 after a nationwide search. He has 14 years of experience as a city manager for other cities.
The new city budget will go into effect July 1.
The next City Council meeting is slated for April 14, where council members will likely vote to finalize their raises during the consent agenda.
This story was originally published March 25, 2026 at 12:52 PM.
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Theresa Clift is the Regional Watchdog Reporter for The Sacramento Bee. She covered Sacramento City Hall for The Bee from 2018 through 2024. Before joining The Bee, she worked for newspapers in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin. She grew up in Michigan and graduated with a journalism degree from Central Michigan University.