Green River’s city administrator started receiving a bigger paycheck after his contract was renewed by the Green River City Council last month.
According to the two contracts, Clevenger now makes $147,290 a year, up from the $128,750 his previous contract called for. The contract also contains an increase for Clevenger’s automobile allowance, from $500 a month in the previous contract to $600 a month. The Council approved a new contract with Reed Clevenger at the end of its March 20 meeting. The contract was not available publicly until both Mayor Pete Rust and Clevenger signed the document.
Green River operates under a city administrator form of government, one of three types of municipal governments used in Wyoming. With this form of government, the mayor relinquishes certain responsibilities that traditionally are assigned to mayors and manages the municipality’s daily operations.
Clevenger was originally hired March 3, 2015, after a unanimous vote by the Council, starting March 16, 2015. Prior to that, former police chief Chris Steffen fulfilled the role in a interim capacity, replacing Marty Black when he resigned in 2014.
Rust has nothing but high praise for Clevenger, saying he believes Clevenger is the best city administrator in the state. Clevenger’s pay appears to reflect that sentiment as well. Comparing Clevenger’s salary to what similar positions pay in Cody, Rawlins and Jackson, Clevenger earns more than the other administrators outside of Jackson. Barry Cook, Cody’s city administrator, earns an annual salary of $106,000 and a $400 a month vehicle allowance. Cook had previously worked as Green River’s city administrator. In Rawlins, its city administrator earns $110,910.02 annually. Jackson pays its town administrator $175,000, with a vehicle allowance of $750 per month and a lump sup payment of $5,000 at the end of the contract. All of those positions include employee benefits such as health insurance.
Rust said the decision to give Clevenger a raise was the result discussions occurring between himself and the Council over a two-month period.
Rust said he interviewed the city’s department heads, examined salaries and benefits provided to other city administrators across the state as well as similar positions in Sweetwater County.
Rust said the Council also evaluated Clevenger’s accomplishments as Green River’s city administrator, saying the position is responsible for overseeing a general fund budget of $16 million and a total budget of $36 million, with a workforce of 104 full time and 125 part-time employees.
Rust said Clevenger has been involved in a number of measures that have saved the city money or generated additional funding. He said Clevenger encouraged departments to apply for more grant funding, bringing in approximately $1 million for the city. A lighting retrofit program initiated under Clevenger’s direction is expected to save the city between $15,000 and $25,000 annually. The restructuring of the city’s community services department is also anticipated to save $25,000 each year.
“Reed has been involved in the reorganization of several departments, which among other things resulted in changed assignments and through attrition of personnel, considerable savings,” Rust said.
The city has also received an additional $2 million in sales tax revenues, which Rust attributes to changing fortunes in the state’s minerals industry. Rust said the savings will help fund Clevenger’s pay increase, saying the work Clevenger has done so far has improved the city.
“We believed the contract, as provided, was appropriate,” Rust said.
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