The Troutdale City Council on June 26 adopted a resolution authorizing city officials to negotiate a tentative employment agreement and extend a conditional offer of employment to Mike Weston for the city manager position.

The action came during a special public meeting after the council moved to insert Weston’s name into the draft agreement and then vote to authorize negotiations. The resolution passed by roll call with all members present voting yes.

“The most recent … employment agreement for Mr. Weston in King City from January of last year … indicated a salary of $154,003.62,” said Eric, a city staff member, who reviewed Weston’s prior pay and presented calculations the council used to set guidance. Eric told the council the advertised Troutdale range was $170,000 to $210,000 and that a midpoint of that range is $190,000.

Council discussion focused on how to position an initial offer for a candidate moving from a smaller city to Troutdale and whether to account for differences in retirement contributions. Councilors repeatedly returned to a roughly 10% step-up from Weston’s estimated current pay; several members said they preferred to leave room to increase pay after a performance review.

“Are we all okay with $180,000? Then let's stick with that. That gives you your consensus,” Mayor Rytmak said during the discussion.

Councilors did not adopt a final signed contract at the meeting. The formal resolution authorized staff to negotiate the terms and extend a conditional offer; council discussion indicated staff will negotiate within the advertised $170,000–$210,000 range and that the council expects an annual review provision (the example agreement included a December 1 review date). Relocation assistance and other benefits were described as negotiable but not included in the base offer unless the candidate requests them. Eric said he did not intend to replicate King City’s monthly car stipend as a standard benefit.

The meeting included two formal votes recorded in the minutes: one to insert the candidate’s name, Mike Weston, into the draft offer and a second to adopt the resolution authorizing negotiation and a conditional offer. Roll-call votes showed Mayor Rytmak and Councillors White, Davidson, Leeny, Andrews, Allen and Wynne voting yes on the resolution; no no-votes, abstentions or recusals were recorded.

Next steps: city staff will enter negotiations with Weston and report back to council with a proposed employment agreement for final approval. The council signaled it expects to use the advertised salary range as the negotiation boundary and to review the manager’s performance under the agreement’s annual-review provision.