FOLSOM — The Folsom City Council approved an adjustment to the salary range for the city’s fire chief position during its first March meeting Tuesday, updating the citywide pay schedule to reflect a higher compensation range for the position.
The action came through adoption of a resolution amending the citywide pay schedule and salary tables for the city’s Executive Management Team. The amendment modifies the previously approved pay range for the fire chief position and formally incorporates the updated figures into the city’s official compensation framework.
According to the staff report presented to the council, the adjustment became necessary after the city manager offered compensation above the salary range previously approved by the council in December 2025 while working to recruit and retain a highly qualified candidate for the department’s top leadership role.
The revised salary range also aligns the fire chief position with the salary structure currently established for the city’s chief of police, according to the staff report.
Although Section 4.01 of the Folsom Municipal Code grants the city manager authority to set compensation for department head positions, the item was presented to the council in the interest of transparency and to formally incorporate the revised salary range into the city’s adopted pay schedule.
The amendment also ensures the city’s compensation structure remains compliant with requirements established by the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, commonly known as CalPERS. Those rules require public agencies to maintain an officially adopted pay schedule approved by the governing body for compensation to be considered earnable for retirement purposes.
Under the updated schedule approved Tuesday, the starting monthly salary for the fire chief position beginning July 1, 2025 increases from $20,440 to $20,685. The top step of the range increases from $24,868 to $25,167.
Future year adjustments follow a similar increase. For July 1, 2026, the revised salary scale begins at $21,306 per month and rises to $25,922 at the highest step. By July 1, 2027, the range increases from $21,945 at Step 1 to $26,699 at Step 6.
According to the staff report, the difference between the previously approved first-year salary and benefits package and the revised proposal totals $6,332.
The updated pay schedule replaces the earlier salary table approved by the council in December and will now be incorporated into the city’s official compensation framework. According to the staff analysis, the amendment affects only the fire chief salary range and does not modify compensation levels for any other members of the city’s Executive Management Team, whose pay schedules were previously approved by the council.
With the resolution approved, the updated salary schedule becomes part of the city’s adopted pay framework and will be posted and maintained in accordance with CalPERS transparency requirements for public employee compensation. Those wishing to know more can view the full staff report and the city pay tables information here.
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