City Manager to Get $7,000 Pay Bump

Updated 8pm Tuesday night

Novato has approved giving City Manager Michael Frank a $6,600 pay bump.

The move was approved by the City Council at Tuesday's meeting. The money that will be put in a deferred compensation fund, and not taxed while Frank is employed.

“If all goes according to plan, the employee’s deposits and the interest earned will grow so that when the employee retires, he or she will be able to augment his or her pension with the funds from the deferred compensation account,” explained Dan Weakley, human resource manager for Novato.

Frank was hired in 2009 at a base salary of $186,000. Last year he earned $208,000, according to the California State Comptroller, one of the highest paid employees in the city. If the increase is approved, it would increase his compensation to $215,000 a year.

When he was hired, Frank received a home loan for more than $600,000. He also receives a $400 a month car allowance from the city.

Council members defended the move, saying that Frank has been instrumental in repairing Novato's finances since coming on board four years ago.

"Michael is earning every penny," said Councilwoman Jeanne MacLeamy. 

Councilwoman Madeline Kellner agreed, saying that Frank had "brought the leadership the city needed to make Novato the high quality place to live."

The pay bump is part of a negotiated salary increase, according to Weakley. Meanwhile, negotiations with the city’s labor groups, including police, engineers, managers and general employees, are expected to resume in March 2014, pending the end of a labor contract next June.