Council approves administrator salary rate increase

The Milton City Council approved a salary range increase for the city administrator position on Jan. 4. The city hopes this increase will attract more qualified candidates during its search to permanently fill the position.

Interim City Administrator Connie Fessler, whose position expired last month, has agreed to work with the city until a new individual has been hired.  

The salary increase will bump the administrator’s pay up between $97,000-$122,000. City staff argued that the administrator’s current salary range, between $72,000 and $114,000, was below the median salaries of similar positions in neighboring cities.

The cities of Fife and Edgewood pay about $120,000 annually for the position, while the cities of Gig Harbor, Sumner and Black Diamond pay upwards of $127,000.

In November, council members approved roughly $111,000 for an administrator position in the 2010 budget. However, at the first council meeting of the year some council members still expressed reservations about keeping the position amidst a recession.

“At this point in time I don’t think we can afford the luxury of keeping this position,” Councilmember Jim Heddleston said. He was one of three members who voted against the salary range increase.

Councilmember Bob Whalen, who also voted against the salary range increase, stated he was in support of the position, but was hesitant to spend any extra money from the general fund.

“Considering we’re spending more in the general fund than we’re bringing in, I’m having a hard time justifying spending any extra funds,” he told council members.

Nevertheless, most council members were in support of the salary increase. Newly elected Councilmember Debra Perry supported the increase because of its potential to attract highly qualified candidates and to keep the city running smoothly.  

“We need a good overseer who knows how to manage a city,” Perry said.

Mayor Katrina Asay said an administrator position is vital to keeping the city operational.

“It would be unfair to give an additional 50 or more hours of work to our department directors who are already working 45 or more hours per week,” Asay told the council.

Fessler candidly expressed concerns to the council regarding their dissention about a future administrator position. She stressed the importance of the position, comparing it to a CEO of a multi-million dollar organization.

“You need someone in charge of the city, now more than ever,” she told council members. “To cut this position would be, frankly, irresponsible. As a council, you need to get behind this position, or else you could risk losing qualified candidates during this search.”

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