Longmont City Council Tuesday night heaped praise and some extra compensation for City Manager Harold Domiguez and City Attorney Eugene Mei.
Dominguez — who has been Longmont’s city manager since March 2012 — saw his annual base salary move from $247,760 to $270,107 after a unanimous vote by the council.
Mei’s base salary is moving from $189,346 a year to $217,736 after another unanimous vote by the council.
Dominguez will also receive a retention payment of $40,000, which will require him to stay with the city for two years. If he leaves before then, he must repay the money, said Joanne Zeas, Longmont’s chief human resource officer.
Mei — who has been city attorney since March 2009 — will receive a retention payment of $30,000, which also requires him to stay with the city for two years or he would repay, Zeas said.
Both of the salary amounts are 101% of market as consistent with the city’s pay philosophy, Zeas said via email. Both men may determine where the increase is applied — either base salary or deferred compensation, Zeas said.
Council members said both men deserve the raises and the retention payments are designed to ensure they will stay with the city.
“We need to be creative,” said Councilmember Tim Waters. “We need to be as aggressive as possible to keep our talent.”
Both Mei and Dominguez were employed at less than market value, council members said. And both are largely “responsible for all of our successes,” Councilmember Marcia Martin said.
