Chief, manager get pay raises

Clearlake Council votes 5-0 on series of 5-year contracts, approves salary increase for top officials

CLEARLAKE >> The Clearlake City Council voted 5-0 Thursday night in favor of approving five-year contracts, including salary increases for Police Chief Andrew White and City Manager Alan Flora.

Under Flora’s new contract, he will receive a 7.5% pay increase, bringing his salary to $165,432. In addition, Flora will receive a 3% increase on July 1 each year beginning in 2022, upon a favorable evaluation from the council.

Flora has served as city manager for about one year and was under a two-year contract before the council approved the new one Tuesday night. Prior to starting in his role as city manager, Flora served as Clearlake’s assistant city manager and finance director.

White’s new contract also includes a 7.5% pay bump, bringing his salary to $152,364. Upon a favorable review each year from the city manager, White will also receive a 3% pay increase each year on July 1 beginning in 2022. White has served as chief of police since July 2018.

The council approved the contracts without discussion.

Relatedly, the council approved a salary increase for the finance director position, in an attempt to draw more applicants. White is serving as the finance director in the interim on a parttime basis in addition to his duties as police chief.

The council approved staff’s recommendation to increase the salary range for the finance director position from $92,978$113,016 to $97,628$118,667. The staff report noted that the average salary for that position in similarly-sized cities was $115,744 with similar benefits.

In other actions, the council voted unanimously to extend a moratorium on hemp cultivation in the city for another year. Despite the vote, councilors Joyce Overton and Russ Cremer said they would like city staff to do some research and find out if allowing hemp cultivation may be beneficial for the city.

Overton said that if she had the choice, she would have chosen to allow the cultivation of hemp over marijuana to be allowed in the community.

“Hemp is an industry that we need to look at, for sure,” Overton said. “If we do extend this, I want some real research on this … I think that we’re losing out.”

Erin McCarrik, a member of the public, weighed in and encouraged the council to look into the possible benefits.

The council also considered an ordinance to allow self-storage facilities to be built on mixed-use or rural residential land in the city with a conditional use permit. A motion to approve the first reading of the ordinance by Overton died with lack of a second after councilors and residents raised concerns about storage facilities being put near homes.

Flora said he brought forward the ordinance because there was limited space available for storage facilities which are in demand. He said he had “no dog in the fight,” but that he thought his proposal made the most sense from a city planning perspective.