DATE: September 17, 2025
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
FROM: Human Resources Department
TITLE: UPDATE TO THE CITY OF OCEANSIDE SALARY SCHEDULE
RECOMMENDATION
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Staff recommends that the City Council approve and adopt the revised City of Oceanside Salary Schedule updating the pay range for City Planner effective the pay period following ratification and adoption of this recommendation.
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BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
The salary schedule presented for adoption reflects a change to the salary table increasing the pay range for City Planner in a concerted effort to address a significant recruiting deficiency for this key City position.
The City Planner position in the Development Services Department leads and manages the Planning Division, which is responsible for land use planning pursuant to federal, state, regional, and local ordinances. The role serves the community by providing balanced, professional recommendations to the public and City decision makers as they define, shape, and implement Oceanside's growth vision.
The City Planner position was recently vacated. As a matter of course when a long-tenured position is vacated, the Human Resources Department surveys agencies within San Diego County for salary competitiveness. Although the position's salary range falls within acceptable ranges, it constitutes 45% of the average salary range (below the 50% threshold), placing it into the lower quartile of salaries in the County of San Diego for City Planners.
A full-scale recruitment was recently conducted, with the position open for applications for approximately one month. Although three to four candidates met minimum qualifications out of the twenty-two who applied, the applicant showing was not as hoped. Feedback received from the Planning community is that the salary offered is not commensurate with the expectations of the position, given the complexities of land use planning in Oceanside as further described below.
The City Pl...
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