4 high-ranking Virginia Beach appointees get 2.24% raises

VIRGINIA BEACH

Many City Council members had wanted to give their high-ranking appointees a significantly smaller raise than most public employees received.

But there was a glitch.

City Manager Jim Spore's contract requires that he receive "no less than the average increase for all other city employees."

The council voted Tuesday night to give Spore and three other appointees - the city attorney, clerk and real estate assessor - raises of 2.24 percent. Council members had initially discussed raises of 1.5 percent.

The council did not give auditor Lyndon Remias a raise, because he was hired in April.

The 2.24 percent is the average of the 2.5 percent most employees received and the 1 percent that sworn public safety officers got this year in exchange for an improved retirement plan.

"I thought it was fair," Councilman John Uhrin said. "It's close to matching what the balance of the employees got."

The limited raise is a sign of tight economic times, Uhrin said.

"They're valued staff," he said of the appointees.

Councilman Bill DeSteph and Councilwoman Reba McClanan voted against the raise for Spore.

When council members discussed the 1.5 percent raise in August, they didn't realize that Spore's contract specified his raises, McClanan said.

She and DeSteph had opposed that initial contract.

"As long as they keep bringing it up, I'll keep voting the same way," McClanan said.

The 2.24 percent increase brings Spore's salary to $219,715. City Attorney Les Lilley will make $208,151. City Clerk Ruth Hodges Fraser will make $104,076, and Jerry Banagan, the real estate assessor, will make $120,684.

Deirdre Fernandes, (757) 222-5121, deirdre.fernandes @pilotonline.com