Council approves raise for manager
By Matt Caulder
Published in News on January 22, 2014 1:46 PM
The Goldsboro City Council unanimously agreed to give Goldsboro City Manager Scott Stevens a 2 percent raise as well as a $300 bonus at its meeting Tuesday night.
At the same time, the Council approved the findings of a pay and classification study affecting 13 other city positions.
The motion to give Stevens the raise and bonus, as well as change the language in his letter of understanding with regard to compensation plan contributions, followed a closed session held during the work session prior to the regular meeting.
The increase will bring Stevens' salary up to $155,295 annually.
Stevens' last salary increase was a cost of living increase in July 2012 that boosted his salary from $150,00 to $152,250 a year.
"I want to officially and formally thank Scott for all he does for the city as our City Manager," Mayor Al King said.
The classification study, prepared by the Mercer Group, recommended moving 11 jobs into a higher pay grade while dropping another down and adjusting the title on another position to bring it in line with other municipalities.
The re-classifications will cost the city $39,500.
In other business, the Council appropriated an additional $28,000 to be added to the $104,000 project awarded to the R.D. Braswell Construction Co. for the widening of Berkeley Boulevard. The change order is for extra work to push utilities back away from the street to make room for the street widening. Four water lines must be relocated for the paving work to continue, but additional work is needed to reduce the inconvenience to water users, officials said.
The project, which was approved by the Council in November, will add a right turn lane onto Royall Avenue from Berkeley Boulevard and construct another southbound lane from New Hope Road to connect with the section that is already a four-lane road north of U.S. 70.
The Council also agreed to add an additional $900 to fulfill the city's 10 percent match for planning funds revise site plans for the construction of a new GATEWAY transfer facility. The revision is needed because the renovation of Goldsboro Union Station was not funded in the U.S. Department of Transportation grant, Downtown Goldsboro Development Corp. Director Julie Metz said.
The Council heard a presentation by Finance Director Kaye Scott previewing the findings of Carr, Riggs and Ingram CPAs and Advisors, the accounting firm that handled the city's annual audit.
Mrs. Scott said that the audit resulted in everything being found to be in order with no findings or violations.
"When you're good, you're good," she said.
Two public hearings were held during the Council's regular.
The first was a recommendation from Stevens to revert a portion of land between Carolina and Virginia streets know as Hogan's Alley back to the property owners adjacent to the unused throughway. The northern portion of the alley is no longer passable and has not been used as a throughway for years.
While the land would go back to the control of the property owners the city would maintain right-of-way access to the alley.
Headen recused himself from the discussions because he has land adjacent to the alley.
No one spoke for or against the proposal
The second public hearing was in reference to a proposed charter school at the corner of Tommy's and Patetown roads. The land would need to be rezoned as an Office and Institutional Conditional Use District for the purpose of the school. Members of the board of directors for the proposed Wayne Preparatory Academy spoke in favor of the proposal. No one spoke against the rezoning.