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Needles council approves 3% salary increase for city manager after heated public comment; mayor breaks tie
Summary
The council approved Resolution 2025-46, amending the city manager’s employment agreement to set an annual salary of $223,510 (3% increase), following public opposition citing local poverty; the vote was tied and the mayor cast the deciding vote.
The City Council on Nov. 12 approved the second amendment to the City Manager employment agreement, setting Patrick Martinez’s salary at $223,510 effective Nov. 12, 2025 — a 3% increase the council characterized as a cost-of-living adjustment.
City Attorney and staff explained that the increase stems from a negotiations committee recommendation and was intended to align the manager’s pay with comparable positions and the city’s negotiated employee COLA. The item prompted extensive public comment: multiple residents urged the council to reject the raise because of high local poverty levels and argued that past increases (including a 10% adjustment last year) made further raises inappropriate.
Council debate focused on comparability, the manager’s start-at-2013 pay level and whether the city’s budget could sustain the increase. On the roll call, three council members voted against the resolution and three voted in favor; the mayor cast the tie-breaking vote in favor of adoption. The resolution was adopted and the clerk and city attorney recorded the action as passed.
