CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The City’s recent budget problems has led leaders to propose cuts to jobs, programs and projects. However, council gave City Manager Peter Zanoni a ten percent raise last week which moved his yearly pay from $372,000 a year to a little over $409,000.
Residents have voiced their concerns wondering why the raise was given and why the city manager accepted it.
"It’s not some number that was made up, it’s based on market pay," Zanoni said. "I had people recruiting me in Texas. The City of Austin recruited me to go up there I quickly denied that, but more people will try to recruit me."
3NEWS asked several council members about the pay issue. Some had voted for it while others didn't.
Councilman Mike Pusley pointed to a survey the HR department did looking at the pay for top city leaders in competing cities.
"The market study showed that we were about five percent below the cities that are comparable in size to the city of Corpus Christi so all of our assistant city managers and directors are getting a market pay raise as well as a performance pay raise," Pusley said.
Councilman Gil Hernandez said the process council agreed to would've led to a four percent increase.
"We had a process that we agreed to on the front side of it and with the performance evaluation, and if we would have followed that process there would have been a four percent raise and not a ten percent raise," Hernandez said.
Former councilman David Loeb said he’s served on the council and Del Mar College Board and told 3NEWS what he’s seen during past similar situations with organizational leaders.
"Both times that that has happened in my public career the senior executive management has volunteered to not take a pay raise, because they wanted to show leadership, and what’s the right word? Uh, fellowship with the employees they manage every day," Loeb said.
3NEWS asked the City Manager whether he would consider foregoing his salary in light of the job cutting proposals that are still on the table, asking specifically if he would delay his pay raise for a year.
"This year I didn’t and so we would see in the future you know," Zanoni said.