Pupo Seeks Raises For Managers Retroactive Increase Would Cost City $42,000
Spokane City Manager Bill Pupo wants to boost the salaries of 16 top managers and two administrative secretaries by nearly 2 percent, and possibly more through merit raises.
The increase - if approved by the City Council - would be retroactive to Jan. 1, and cost taxpayers about $42,000, including benefits.
The proposal has been discussed at least twice during council executive sessions that are closed to the public.
Council members likely will vote on the emergency ordinance Dec. 8 - the same day the proposed 1998 budget comes to them for approval.
“I need a means to pay these people and reward them, or I’m going to lose them to bargaining groups,” Pupo said.
Implementing a new evaluation process for top employees kept Pupo from asking for the pay increases earlier, he said.
Under the plan, all 18 employees - including Pupo - would get a 1.9 percent pay hike. They also may qualify for an additional increase - depending on the outcome of the evaluations Pupo currently is completing.
“I’m still calculating what each person gets,” he said, adding that he knows he’ll create tension between employees by choosing who deserves merit increases.
Pupo’s pay already will increase from $95,268 this year to $99,712 in 1998 because he reaches a new seniority level. He also would get a retroactive increase of at least 1.9 percent under his proposal.
It’s up to the City Council to evaluate his performance and determine if he’ll get an even higher retroactive raise.
The retroactive raises are necessary to keep pace with the average 3 percent increase already given to union employees this year, Pupo said. Otherwise, those non-union workers might unionize, he said.
Also, Spokane needs to keep pace with other cities, he said, adding he’s had trouble attracting new employees.
“We’re not even in the ballpark of most cities,” he said. “We have serious recruiting problems.”
Councilman Orville Barnes said he likes the performance-based salary hikes far more than the across-the-board increases of past years.
“This is the kind of thing I like to see,” he said. “It should not be that one guy gets something, everybody gets something.”
Former City Manager Roger Crum angered his bosses two years ago when he slipped pay raises for the top 16 managers into the 1996 budget plan unannounced.
The resulting fallout prompted the council to pass an ordinance requiring that their salaries be tied to annual evaluations.
But Councilwoman Cherie Rodgers still isn’t sure the raises are justified.
“I hate to be the Grinch here, but hey, we need to fix some roads,” Rodgers said. “I think that their wages are more than generous.”
Councilman Mike Brewer countered that the total of the raises was so small as to be negligible.
“The little dab that’s involved is so insignificant,” Brewer said. “I wouldn’t even worry about that.”
Like this year, the proposed 1998 spending plan doesn’t include pay increases for the 18 employees. But Pupo is hoping to convince the council to give them a boost later.
First he’ll have to do another set of evaluations for each employee, he said, adding that he hopes to get them done earlier next year.
Money for both years - about $90,000 - would be taken from reserves.
“We have good people, good directors,” Pupo said. “They’re not greedy people, but they do want rewards.”
, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: POSITIONS AFFECTED Here are the positions and annual salaries affected by the nonunion pay raise proposal: City manager, $95,268 City attorney, $87,028 Police chief $84,752 Deputy police chief, $80,826 Assistant police chief, $80,826 Fire chief, $84,752 Deputy fire chief, $80,826 Assistant fire chief, $80,826 Finance director, $57,291 Director of planning and engineering, $84,752 Employee relations director, $78,760 Deputy city manager, $89,283 Parks and recreation director, $71,544 Senior attorney, $67,359 Personnel director, $67,359 Budget director, $57,173 Executive secretary to city manager, $41,927 Secretary to mayor, $34,014