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Council sets City Manager pay at $140,000 and approves severance terms
Summary
Council filled blanks in the employment contract for City Manager Alex Campbell: a $140,000 starting salary, six months' severance if terminated without cause during the initial term, four months in renewal terms, and six months of health-premium coverage.
The Talent City Council on June 3 authorized the mayor to sign an employment contract for City Manager Alex Campbell, filling in salary and severance clauses in the draft contract.
Council voted to set Campbell's starting salary at $140,000 per year. During public comment and staff discussion councilors debated comparable pay, market pressures and the logic of an entry-level start combined with an early performance review. Councilor Perry Miller and others noted Campbell already faces a February performance review point.
The council also filled the contract's termination provisions: it set a lump-sum severance equal to six months' base salary if the manager is terminated without cause during the initial term, and four months' base salary for any later renewal term. Council additionally directed the city to pay an amount equivalent to six months of health-insurance premiums (or the equivalent) if the manager is terminated without cause.
Votes on those contract provisions carried by roll call. One councilor recorded a "no" vote on the salary figure; the severance and benefit provisions passed with majority support. Council members discussed the trade-off between enabling recruitment and preserving council flexibility; staff said they had consulted legal advisers and outside resources while compiling comparables.
The contract language approved on the public record fills the remaining blanks in the version provided to the council; the mayor was authorized to sign once the final text reflects the numerical figures the council adopted.
