Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Personnel Compensation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council gives staff guidance on city manager pay, credits two weeks PTO
Summary
After HR reported the city manager's pay was roughly 10.5% below comparable agencies, council directed staff to credit two weeks of paid time off to cover last year's withheld increase and asked staff to return with recommendations to move toward market alignment (mayor suggested a 5% increase as a phased approach).
HR Director Chaim Hertz briefed the council on the annual compensation review required by the city manager's contract and presented market comparables showing the city manager's pay ranks seventh of seven comparable agencies and is about 10.5% below the market median.
"The city manager's wage for the city of Springfield is currently seventh out of 7 comparable agencies, and drops below market median by about 10 and a half percent," Hertz said, citing the three'up, three'down comparables used in past reviews.
Councilors debated how to address both last year's foregone increase and future market alignment. The mayor noted that last year a pay increase was deferred at the mayor's request and proposed crediting paid time off to make up that amount for FY '26. After staff calculated the equivalent hours, the council supported crediting two weeks of PTO to the manager's leave bank to account for last year's withheld increase.
On future pay, council members discussed phased approaches to reach market comparison levels but expressed concern about current budget constraints. The mayor proposed a 5% adjustment as a fiscally constrained interim step; several councilors supported moving toward market alignment in stages and asked staff to return with specific scenarios.
Next steps: HR will prepare a recommendation for the upcoming regular meeting based on council guidance. No formal vote was taken during the work session; the council provided direction to staff.
Why it matters: Compensation decisions affect retention for the city'manager role and set precedents for market alignment across senior municipal positions.
