Amy J. Edwards, a concerned citizen, contacted the members of City Council after an announcement was made at the end of the Council’s Afternoon Session of December 5, 2023, and after a lengthy session in secret.
The announcement: A big, and very questionable 10% pay raise for the City Manager. To $356,375.
Ms. Edwards has given permission to publish her email and it follows here:
City Council:
As an over 50 year resident of Raleigh, I write in opposition to the action taken yesterday afternoon by the council to give a mid-year raise to the city manager of a whopping 10% to her already $323,977 annual salary.
When the city’s vacancy rates for critical public safety positions and more continue to rank in the double digits, and with the lack of action for a year by the city manager to instruct staff/oversee the review and update of the city’s parade permitting policies, processes and procedures, after last years tragic death of Hailey Brooks; voting to give the city manager a 10% raise is shocking and unjustified. This raise is basically double the percentages given in the FY 2023-24 budget for city employees including public safety.
“Annual Pay Increase Guidelines for Police and Fire Pay Structures… Full-time employees in the Police and Fire Pay Structures that successfully meet expectations on their annual performance evaluation and have at least six months of continuous service on June 30, 2023, will receive an annual pay increase in FY24. Employees receiving a compensation adjustment will see the new pay reflected in the October 13, 2023, paycheck. A full-time employee whose pay is at the maximum of the salary range may not be granted an increase that would cause the base salary to exceed the maximum of the range for that position. Once the pay range maximum is reached, the balance of any annual pay increase will be awarded in a one-time lump sum payment not to exceed the total annual pay increase amount. Determination of annual pay increase for Open Range employees: In accordance with Standard Operating Procedure 300-8 Performance Evaluation System, full-time employees whose performance rating Successfully Meets Expectations or above will receive an annual pay increase of 5%. • Eligible full-time employees at or above the maximum for their salary range will receive a one time lump sum payment of 5%. • Once the pay range maximum is reached, the balance of any pay increase will be awarded in a one-time lump sum payment not to exceed the annual pay increase amount of 5%.”
“Annual Pay Increase Guidelines for Broadband Pay Structure …Determination of annual pay increase: In accordance with Standard Operating Procedure 300-8 Performance Evaluation System, full-time employees whose performance rating Successfully Meets Expectations or above will receive an annual pay increase as follows: • There is no general pay adjustment for employees in this pay structure. The annual pay increase range is a variable pay increase of between 1% and 6% and is based on the employee’s performance during the performance period. • Department Directors will be responsible for approving annual pay increases for employees assigned to the Broadband pay structure. • Department Directors will have a 3.5% annual pay increase pool and will be held accountable for staying within budgeted funds. • Once the pay range maximum is reached, the balance of any pay increase will be awarded in a one-time lump sum payment.”
The City Manager and Mayor are the chief elected and appointed organizational leadership of the city, and as such are professionally responsible for the overall direction and performance of city programs and staff. The Mayor, Council and City Manager are public servants and fiscally accountable to the public and the city staff they oversee in action or inaction. The reasoning and justifications behind such a large, mid-fiscal year raise for the City Manager, so far beyond what any other Raleigh city employee or even state employee received in 2023, baffles me and I am certain the employees and citizens of the city of Raleigh you all are sworn to serve.
The city manager is making much more than any North Carolina Council of State member including the Governor, or his chief of staff, or even the chief of staff for State Senate President Pro Tempore. As a taxpayer and Raleigh resident, this huge mid-fiscal year raise, while our city’s public safety and first responder workforce are in critical need of human resources and competitive compensation, along with the embarrassing lack of action for a year on the highly public and negatively media focused parade permitting process is embarrassing at the very least while sending very negative, questionable signals to city employees and the public of what the Mayor, City Manager and Council value most.
Regards,
Amy J. Edwards
Since sending this letter to City Council, the N&O has published an article about the raise. 10% pay raise boosts Manager’s salary above $350,000.
The article notes when asked to provide the goals the City Manager’s performance were measured against, Mayor Baldwin declined saying:
“Our city manager’s raise was awarded to ensure equity and alignment with her peers’ salaries, and was also based on her achieving her annual goals,” Baldwin told The News & Observer. The N&O asked for a copy of the goals, to which Baldwin replied: The goals “are developed in closed session and discussed with the city manager.”
It’s understandable that the “grades” the manager receives for each of her goals be kept private as a personnel issue. But, the goals themselves being a part of her job responsibilities, should be made public.
Note from Livable Raleigh – the data provided in the body of the email comes from the City’s published FY 2024 budget and is available here: FY 2024 Employee Compensation and Benefits
You can watch Mayor Baldwin announce this action taken by City Council when she returned to the council table after a closed session which lasted over 2 hours. We can only assume this was a legally required announcement and it was made at a time when no one in the public could reasonably be expected to hear it. Luckily for our readers, Ms. Edwards did hear it and alerted us to the action so we could make you aware of it.
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