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Clerk's pay pops as revolving door stops
By MAUREEN BYRNE AHERN SEMINOLE -- After losing two city clerks in less than a year and struggling for months to find a replacement, city officials say they are thrilled the woman they hired six months ago is a keeper. City Council members told Beverly Brown last week how pleased they are with her at a casual six-month evaluation. But it was the numbers they discussed that put a smile on Brown's face. Council members gave Brown what they say was a much-needed raise. Her annual salary jumped from $40,299 to $51,085. Mayor Dottie Reeder said the city hired Brown with the intention of giving her a raise after a six-month probationary period. Brown left a $58,000-a-year city clerk job in Connecticut last spring to come work for Seminole. Last summer the city revised its pay scale for city employees. The middle range for city clerk, $40,299, increased to $51,085. "We wanted her to be at midrange," Reeder said. "Keep in mind, the last time we revised the salary range, we were a much smaller city." That was in 1999. Since then, the city has doubled in size and population. The city clerk is a charter official who ultimately reports to the City Council, a board of seven members, including the mayor. The clerk also reports to the city manager. The primary duties are maintaining all city records and coordinating city elections. Four people have held the job in the past decade, three in the past four years. "It's important to have some stability in that office," Reeder said. Brown said she has no plans to leave and wishes she would have moved to Florida years ago. "I was glad they are happy with me because I am so happy here," she said.
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From the Times South Pinellas desks Editorial Letters |
