Volusia County approves 4% raises for county manager and county attorney

The Volusia County Council on Dec. 2 approved a 4% salary increase for County Manager George Recktenwald and County Attorney Michael Dyer. The council’s personnel discussion followed prepared evaluations praising both officials’ leadership, legal competency and management of county programs.

Why it matters: The raises align the manager and county attorney with the 4% adjustment granted to general county employees earlier in the budget cycle. Several council members said the increases were modest, intended to recognize performance while avoiding compression issues with rank‑and‑file staff and preserving the manager’s leverage in future salary comparisons.

What happened: Council members reviewed a public evaluation instrument for each official (scores across leadership, judgment and community relations). Several council members praised both officials’ responsiveness during crises and their stewardship of major programs such as Transform‑386 water projects. After discussion — and some comments advocating a larger, one‑time market adjustment — the council approved separate motions granting the 4% increases to the county attorney and to the county manager; both officials said they were uncomfortable receiving more than the general employee raise.

Next steps: Council asked staff to prepare a workshop to evaluate broader compensation comparators (total compensation packages, peer counties and recruitment risk) and to return with data if council wants to consider a larger, one‑time adjustment in the future.