Maryville council tables town manager employment agreement after budget concerns

Councilman Pettit moved on June 10 to finalize and approve an employment agreement for Town Manager Michael Griffin; the council discussed compensation, budget outlook and legal requirements before tabling the item.

Pettit opened the discussion by asking the council to approve the contract; the motion was seconded by Councilwoman Uslak. The proposal would increase Griffin’s pay. Griffin told the council the contract "will increase it, but it'll still be below what had been planned for for 2 years," and that a formal agreement is required by the municipal code. Several council members raised budget concerns tied to recent state legislation. Griffin and Clerk/other staff explained the town faces fiscal pressure from recent changes to state law (referred to during the meeting as Senate Bill 1 / "public law 68-2025") and the council debated timing and optics of a manager pay increase while revenues are uncertain.

Council members also discussed council member compensation separately; one councilor noted council pay has not changed in more than 20 years. After discussion, Pettit agreed to table the motion. The council then voted on a motion to table the manager contract; Town staff called the roll and the vote to table was recorded as 5 in favor, 0 opposed.

Griffin told the council that, administratively, an agreement is required by the town's code and that the salary terms could be modified or delayed if the council chose to do so. The manager said he believed the proposed compensation was "still below market for the position based on the study we had" and that the proposed amounts were included in the 2024–25 budget documents but had not been enacted earlier.

Ending: The council voted to table the employment agreement; members said they would continue deliberations in a work-study session and return to the matter at a later date.