New Broken Arrow city manager's salary set at $153,500
BY ZACK STOYCOFF World Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 02, 2012
10/02/12 at 9:58 PM
Broken Arrow: Read previous stories related to Broken Arrow and get contact information for Broken Arrow officials.
Document: Read the city of Broken Arrow's employment agreement with Thomas M. Moton Jr.
BROKEN ARROW — City Manager Thom Moton will earn $153,500 annually under a two-year contract approved Tuesday by the City Council.
That surpasses the $140,000 earned by former City Manager David Wooden but is comparable to the salaries of city managers in Oklahoma’s other largest cities.
“We think we got the most for our dollar,” Mayor Craig Thurmond said. “We looked at what our candidates were making at their current cities and what a candidate should be earning at a city this size.”
Moton, assistant city manager of Greenville, N.C., was appointed to the Broken Arrow position Sept. 18 after a five-month search that attracted 55 applicants.
He will take office Nov. 6, according to his contract.
“I talked to him after the City Council meeting tonight, and he’s excited,” Thurmond said. “We think we made the right choice.”
Officials have said Moton’s expertise includes downtown and economic development — both of which are priorities for the city.
He served as interim city manager of Greenville for five months after its previous city manager retired in March, and his previous positions include assistant city manager of University City, Mo., and Corsicana, Texas.
His salary in Broken Arrow is more than that of Tulsa City Manager Jim Twombly, who makes $140,000 annually, but is in line with those of the city managers of Norman, Edmond and Midwest City, who earn between $145,000 and $155,000.
The state’s highest-paid city manager, Oklahoma City’s Jim Couch, earns more than $200,000.
Broken Arrow, which recently surpassed 100,000 residents, is the state’s fourth-largest city, behind Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Norman.
Moton’s contract calls for retirement contributions of 12 percent, cell phone and vehicle allowances, and relocation assistance.
The contract also requires a “goal-setting session” between Moton and city leaders within three months of his start date, something that has not been included in contracts for previous city managers, according to a document presented to the City Council.
Moton is entitled to a six-month severance package if he is terminated before the conclusion of the contract. An informal review of his performance will be conducted after nine months, and a formal review will take place after a year.
Wooden was fired in April amid controversy over a proposed Indian casino.
He replaced Twombly, who was fired from his Broken Arrow city manager position in June 2009, when the city cited a need to go in a different direction.
Twombly made $124,384 in that job, the Tulsa World previously reported.
Associated Images:
Thom Moton
|
