GEE AND URSULA

Gee & Ursula: Should Tacoma Utilities Director be making over 400K?

Dec 20, 2022, 3:24 PM | Updated: Dec 21, 2022, 2:23 pm

Tacoma...

(File image)

(File image)

Tacoma City Manager Elizabeth Pauli will make more than $309,000 in 2023, according to a report by the Tacoma News Tribune, her second raise in less than a year at an increase of 7.5%.

Tacoma’s Public Utilities Director Jackie Flowers is receiving a 5.6% raise — earning more than $400,000 for the year.

“Yeah, it’s a pretty impressive pay rate. It’s much higher than comparable,” said Mike Lewis, guest host of The Gee and Ursula Show. “Seattle’s Public Utilities Director, Andrew Lee, in April of this year, unless he received a massive pay bump, was reportedly making $265,000 a year. That’s significantly less than the same job in a much, much smaller city of Tacoma. I’m a little perplexed at the necessity for salaries this high.”

Gee Scott, Spike O’Neill disagree on Sheriff Troyer verdict

Pauli is the first woman to serve as city manager of Tacoma.

The average city manager in Washington state makes approximately $130,000 to $140,000 a year.

“I’m not saying it’s not a hard job. I just don’t want to see that much of a [salary] gap,” said Gee Scott, host of The Gee and Ursula Show. “$498,000? And then the next person working in that office, let’s say they’re making $75,000? Oh, I don’t want to see that.”

According to Tacoma’s compensation plan, the city manager can make up to $376,501 under the current plan.

This announcement follows news from Texas last summer when Austin city council members approved a whopping 40% salary increase during the peak of inflation amongst the city’s population.

The approved Austin ordinance increased the salary for council members to $116,688 and the salary for the mayor to $134,191.56 for 2023 — a number comparable to Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell’s salary.

More from Gee Scott: Should we upzone the entire state of Washington?

“I’m not sure that is a job that should be paying $300,000 a year. If you just look at the cohorts, if you look at the averages across it, it seems to be a little bit on the outrageous,” Lewis responded. “I’m not making a judgment about any particular person doing this job, it just seems like a high on the salary.”

Last year, the Edmonds City Council agreed to disband the Edmonds Citizens Salary Commission, which set compensation limits for both council members and the mayor. It was disbanded in order to address equity issues when it came to council members’ pay.

Listen to Gee Scott and Ursula Reutin weekday mornings from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.

Gee and Ursula Show

Gee and Ursula

Photo: Yale players, including guard Yassine Gharram, center, celebrate with fans after their 78-76...

Julia Dallas

Gee and Ursula: Idaho band turns ‘Van-Dogs’ as they rep. Yale for March Madness

Yale took down Auburn in a major upset during March Madness. But, they might've not been able to do it without the help of a marching band.

3 days ago

boeing negligence...

Ursula Reutin

Ursula: Boeing has finally taken a step in the right direction

Boeing CEO David Calhoun acknowledged that the mid-air blowout of an Alaska Airlines door panel was a watershed.

3 days ago

Image: Photo of "The Ascent" by Larry Anderson...

Julia Dallas

‘Gee and Ursula’: Bonney Lake mayor search reveals ‘tea’ on candidate

The City of Bonney Lake is searching for a new mayor after the former mayor accepted a job with the Puyallup Tribe of Indians.

10 days ago

Both President Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump have locked the nomination for their respectiv...

Bill Kaczaraba

Medved: ‘People didn’t really know (or care) there was a primary’

Medved believes that people are unhappy with their choices during this presidential cycle.

12 days ago

Photo: The homeless encampment outside city hall is being moved around Burien to another home at Do...

Ursula Reutin

Ursula: The Burien homeless crisis highlights an even bigger problem

Because of the lack of alternatives, the King County Sheriff has ordered her deputies to not enforce a camping ban in Burien.

16 days ago

court gavel...

Bill Kaczaraba

Gee & Ursula: Should judges be elected or appointed?

Gee & Ursula take on an age-old question: Should judges be elected or appointed? This comes after a case involving Judge Pooja Vaddadi.

21 days ago

Gee & Ursula: Should Tacoma Utilities Director be making over 400K?