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By Brian Hews
Publisher | Follow X
March 22, 2026
Downey officials like to say they don’t get paid.
On paper, that’s true.
In practice, the Downey City Council is set to revisit a system next week that sends elected officials more than $1,000 a month in taxpayer-funded payments—automatically adjusted for inflation.
The discussion, scheduled for Tuesday’s meeting, centers on whether those monthly amounts—about $1,078 for councilmembers and roughly $1,270 for the mayor—should be “updated.”
Under the City Charter, councilmembers do not receive a salary. Instead, they are reimbursed for expenses tied to their official duties. But those reimbursements include a fixed monthly payment meant to cover “routine costs” like mileage, phone use, and meals.
The key words: fixed monthly payment.
Unlike traditional reimbursements, which are typically tied to specific expenses, the monthly payments are issued as a set amount, increasing each year with the Consumer Price Index whether “routine costs” go up—or not. This is an approach more commonly associated with salaries than reimbursements, which are typically tied to actual expenses, not a preset formula.
But the staff report leaves out a key detail: whether councilmembers must actually document expenses to receive the monthly payments.
While travel-related reimbursements—such as airfare, hotels, and conference fees—typically require receipts, the report does not specify whether the same applies to the fixed monthly allowance, or whether the funds are issued automatically regardless of actual expenses.
That distinction is more than academic.
Under federal tax guidelines, reimbursements are generally expected to be tied to documented expenses. Flat monthly payments that are not connected to specific costs can be treated differently, raising questions about whether Downey’s system functions strictly as reimbursement—or something closer to a stipend.
A comparison with nearby cities adds another wrinkle. Cities like Cerritos and Bellflower provide straightforward salaries, while Lakewood and Pico Rivera offer stipends along with separate allowances. Downey, by contrast, sticks with a “no salary” model—while providing monthly payments that rival or exceed some neighboring compensation packages.
Any move to convert the system into a formal salary would require voter approval. But increasing the monthly reimbursement amounts could be done later by a simple council vote.
Tuesday’s item is labeled as “discussion only,” with no immediate financial impact. Still, it opens the door to higher monthly payments—and raises fresh questions about a system that has quietly operated for decades with little public scrutiny.
For taxpayers, the issue heading into the meeting isn’t just whether the payments should increase.
It’s whether they were ever what the city says they are in the first place
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