Council questions unpublicized raises in table of organization ahead of budget adoption

Council member Walker pressed Finance Director Dave Lewis and City Manager Jim Mavromatis after reviewing the draft table of organization, saying he had not seen discussion of $1‑per‑hour and one $2‑per‑hour raises for a small group of non‑union employees during prior budget meetings. "I just wanted to know where that came from, how that came about," Council member Walker said.

Finance Director Dave Lewis said the pay adjustments were presented during the previous week's budget meeting and that the increases were recommended through the city manager during the budget process. City Manager Jim Mavromatis told council the raises were proposed because "those people demonstrated throughout the year that they deserve that raise," and that adjustments were limited by available funding.

Council member Mayo said some raises had been requested by department heads—citing a Parks and Recreation request tied to new certifications—and argued the table of organization changes should have been more transparent. Mayo noted the difference between negotiated union raises and these additional, manager‑recommended increases. Council member Hernon recalled the line was briefly mentioned during budget presentations but said the explanation was short and did not generate substantive discussion.

Council members sought clarity on whether the pay changes required formal council action and whether they could be discussed in executive session because they affect employee compensation. No formal vote occurred on the raises at the meeting; council later voted to move a separate table‑of‑organization ordinance (No. 2025‑84) to a one‑week table for further review.