Council accepts City Manager review and approves 3.5% raise

The West Melbourne City Council accepted the City Manager’s annual performance summary and approved a 3.5% salary increase for City Manager Tim Rohde during the Sept. 16 meeting.

Human Resources staff provided a compiled evaluation showing Rohde’s overall score averaged 4.45 out of 5, an increase from the prior year’s 4.24; staff recommended the council accept the summary document. Councilmember McGuire moved to accept the review summary; Councilmember Adams seconded and the motion passed unanimously.

At the council’s request, Rohde asked that a future workshop consider parameters related to vacation-time handling and comparable practices for executive employees; Rohde also requested a 3.5% increase in line with the average general-employee increase. Councilmember Voltz moved to grant a 3.5% increase; Councilmember Bentley seconded. The motion to grant the 3.5% raise passed by voice vote, recorded as 7–0.

Clarifying context: Staff said the city’s general employees will receive approximately a 3.5% average increase for the year (some variation due to performance reviews). The council briefly discussed pay-band placement and comp ratio and noted Rohde’s high evaluation score but also that his compensation sits relatively high in the comparable band.

Next steps: HR and finance staff will process the approved increase through payroll and report back with any contract or handbook implications discussed at a future workshop.