Interim City Manager Out of Pocket

Apparently our Interim City Manager (ICM) isn’t getting paid enough by our city government. In the May 4th Alameda City Council meeting, a recommendation was made to approve a first amendment to the ICM’s contract. This amendment has asked for an additional $6,000 towards health benefits for the ICM.

Some background info. As negotiated, the City is not contracted to provide medical benefits to a temporary employee. The ICM was awarded a $250,000 base salary as opposed to the former City Manager’s salary of $195,000. The $55,000 difference covers the lack of benefits and puts the ICM’s total compensation slightly less than the City Manager.

So the ICM is basically getting paid the same overall salary as a full-time city manager. The approval of the additional $6,000 is buried on the consent calendar, which can simply be approved by a motion from a Councilmember. Knowing full well the City negotiated her contract without those terms, she tried to sneak it past the public on the consent calendar.

The ICM is justifying this increase by saying she won’t charge for professional development, which includes a $5,000 stipend already included in her original contract. The City defines “professional development” as functions and conferences where the City Manager can represent Alameda and further the City’s goals.

The City of Alameda allocated that money for a reason. She should be attending those types of events, not diverting funds for personal reasons.

What happens when she wants to attend a “professional development” event? She will probably justify this extra expense and sneak it in as another item on the consent calendar.