Turlock council appoints Gary Hampton as interim city manager under CalPERS annuitant rules

The Turlock City Council on Feb. 11 unanimously appointed Gary Hampton as interim city manager and approved an employment agreement outlining CalPERS annuitant restrictions.

HR Director Jessie Domi told the council the appointment is to fill the city-manager vacancy while staff conducts an open recruitment. Under the agreement, Hampton will be paid at step 5 of the city manager salary schedule at $129.38 per hour, may serve no more than 960 hours in a fiscal year, and will receive no benefits, incentive pay, or leave accruals consistent with CalPERS retired-annuitant rules.

Council members moved and seconded the appointment and the employment agreement; both measures passed on 5-0 roll-call votes.

The council earlier reported actions from a special meeting in which it accepted the resignation of Dr. Brago from the interim city manager role and returned her to the deputy city manager position by a 3-2 vote. Domi said Hampton’s interim appointment will end when a permanent city manager is hired.

During public comment, a resident who previously sought city assistance said Hampton had helped him during earlier efforts to address code-enforcement matters. Council members praised outgoing staff for recent efforts, and the city manager noted he would transition to a deputy role while the recruitment proceeds.

Action items: appointment and employment agreement approved on unanimous votes; calendar entries indicate related personnel actions were reported out from a special meeting earlier in the evening.

Next steps: staff will proceed with recruitment for a permanent city manager; Hampton will assume interim duties immediately under the terms approved.