By A. Student, Staff Reporter
Metroville department heads would receive pay raises ranging from $535 to $5,166 under a proposal Mayor Joe Phillips will pitch to Council members Monday night.
The proposal would raise the $1,081,661 per year presently distributed among the city’s 22 department heads to $1,141,212, an increase of $59,551. The smallest of the pay hikes would increase City Planning Director Maria Lopez’s salary from $53,495 to $54,030, a difference of $535, or 1 percent. The largest would boost the $51,657 salary of Linda Martin, City Records director, to $56,823, an increase of $5,166, or 10 percent.
Announcing the proposal this afternoon at City Hall, Phillips described the raises as necessary for retaining quality leadership in City Hall.
“Metroville has talented, capable leaders heading up its departments,” Phillips said. “If we don’t offer them competitive salaries, we won’t be able to keep them.”
The mayor said he plans to include the raises in next year’s proposed Metroville city budget, which the Council will begin considering during its 7 p.m. meeting Monday at City Hall.