City manager receives 5-percent raise

 

By Jimmy LaRoue

Staff Writer

 

Suffolk City Manager Patrick Roberts received a two-year contract extension and a 5-percent raise Wednesday from City Council.

Roberts, who was appointed as city manager Sept. 16, 2015, will make $197,108, as well as a deferred compensation contribution of $16,000 paid annually. The contract also provides him with a vehicle allowance of $700 per month.

It also allows for the contract to be renewed and provides for a severance payment equal to one year’s salary and benefits, including health insurance premiums, should he be terminated for any reason other than cause.

His salary when he was hired in 2015 was set at $170,811 per year with $12,000 of deferred compensation annually and a severance payment equal to six months of salary and benefits.

He received a performance evaluation during a closed session of the council’s meeting Wednesday, and the council unanimously approved his new contract, which is retroactive to July 1 and extends to June 30, 2021.

Mayor Linda T. Johnson said it was important for the city to secure Roberts’ services for another two years, knowing “he is a sought-after commodity in the Hampton Roads region.”

“I don’t think people realize until you really do see in the region the value of Pat Roberts,” Johnson said during Wednesday’s council meeting. “And I think until you have watched him among all the regional players and see how valuable he is — and I’m going to tell you that other cities have seen how valuable he is — and we thank you so much for choosing Suffolk, because you have chosen to be loyal to Suffolk, and that means the world to us. It does make our job easier. It makes it better for the citizens of Suffolk, and we’re very fortunate to have you.”

Other council members were effusive in their praise for the work Roberts has done.

“You are a plus in every way I can tell you,” said Councilman Roger Fawcett.

Said Vice Mayor Leroy Bennett: “We appreciate you agreeing to continue on with us. … I think you’ve been a person that has communicated with all the council members equally and give us all the information, that if you had to give it to one, you gave it to all of us. We appreciate that. That hasn’t always been the case.”

Roberts said he was humbled to continue in his role as city manager.

“All the comments tonight are a reflection of City Council’s vision, which they have clearly articulated and city employees have embraced it and are implementing it. I have the good fortune to count myself as a city employee. I work among the finest people. I’m fortunate that just through this conversation that it’s a mutual intent for me to stay here at least another couple of years.”

His contract comes about two months after City Council approved a 2.5-percent raise to all city employees as part of its $639.4 million budget for fiscal year 2019-2020.

Roberts, rather than pointing to any specific accomplishments in his tenure, pointed to the “stability and predictability and consistency that Suffolk residents have increasingly grown to expect from its government.”

He said if people have a good impression of him and his work, it’s the result of the work the city does as a team.

“I’ve had some really good days here, and I have days where I’m challenged and wish I could do things over again, but the good thing is as long as you’re truthful with people and you demonstrate that you’re trying to do a good job, you tend to get another day to keep after it, and people appreciate that you’re trying.”

Wednesday’s move came less than a month after Norfolk City Manager Doug Smith tendered his resignation to become head of the Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance. Chesapeake is also looking for a new city manager, as the current manager, James E. Baker, has announced retirement plans.

Roberts did not comment on whether he has received overtures from other localities, only saying that “the most significant overture was the fact that council here expressed an interest in me continuing my employment here. That meant a great deal to me.”

Some other nearby localities pay their managers significantly more. According to Norfolk’s salary database, its city manager made $259,896, not including benefits. Chesapeake is advertising a starting salary of $250,000 for its opening. In Virginia Beach, its city manager made $263,611 — not including benefits — as of 2018, according to that city’s employee salary database.

Portsmouth, according to that city’s fiscal year 2019 classification and pay plan, pays its city manager $153,750, along with a car allowance of $9,600 and $3,600 for general expenses.