Officials nix pay raises for HR director, city attorney

A search is underway to fill both positions

Requests from acting city Human Resources Director Jacqueline Damron for pay raises for the city attorney and human resources director were unanimously denied by the Warren City Council at its April 9 meeting.

“It is not within the City Council’s authority to make a wage adjustment,” said Council Secretary Mindy Moore. “We can do budget appropriations, but that was not the request.”

Moore said the requested pay rates were out of line with the Michigan Municipal League’s salary information for other comparable cities.

Damron’s request was also signed by Warren Mayor Lori Stone and asked for the city attorney’s annual salary to be increased from $138,117 to $160,000 and the human resources director to go from $118,615 to $140.000.

The increase for the human resources director is included in Stone’s proposed 2024-25 fiscal year city budget, which she presented to the public at an April 8 event. The increase for the city attorney is not included.

Chief Assistant City Attorney Mary Michaels is currently the acting city attorney.

Damron said the city is actively searching for candidates for both positions and that the higher pay rates are necessary to attract quality applicants. George Dimas, who was Stone’s opponent in last November’s mayoral election, was the human resources director until he left the position shortly after Stone’s election. Former City Attorney Ethan Vinson was fired in February.

“We are not going to be able to attract the best candidates for these positions with the current rate of pay,” Damron said.

Damron submitted data from salary.com that she said supports her request for the salary increases. That information is included in the e-packet for the April 9 meeting that is posted on cityofwarren.org.

Councilman Jonathan Lafferty questioned the timing of the requests as budget hearings for the upcoming fiscal year are scheduled for April 13 at 9 a.m. and April 15 at 6 p.m.

“We are less than a week away from our budget hearings so I am trying to understand making a request like this a week before the budget process is starting,” said

Lafferty. “The mayor should have been having this conversation at the end of November.

“The timing could not be worse.”

The human resources department budget is scheduled for discussion Saturday afternoon; the legal department discussion is on the agenda of the April 15 meeting. Both hearings will be held at the Warren Community Center in Conference Room A which is on the first floor near the auditorium.