LEGISLATIVE RESEARCH CENTER
File #: 18-1159    Name:
Type: Consent Item Status: Passed
File created: 9/26/2018 In control: Broken Arrow City Council
On agenda: 10/2/2018 Final action: 10/2/2018
Title: Approval of and authorization to execute a Fourth Amendment to Employment Agreement, by and between the City of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma and Michael L. Spurgeon
Attachments: 1. FOURTH AMENDED EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
Broken Arrow City Council
Meeting of: 10-02-2018

Title:
title
Approval of and authorization to execute a Fourth Amendment to Employment Agreement, by and between the City of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma and Michael L. Spurgeon

End

Background:
On July 21, 2015, the City Council appointed Michael L. Spurgeon to serve as the City Manager for the City of Broken Arrow. This relationship was formally memorialized by an Employment Agreement dated August 4, 2015. Mr. Spurgeon officially began his duties as City Manager on September 21, 2015. The Employment Agreement has been amended on three (3) prior occasions. The First Amendment was approved on June 7, 2016, and the second Amendment was approved on October 4, 2016 and third on September 17, 2017.
The 2015 Agreement, as amended, provides for an annual evaluation of Mr. Spurgeon's performance. Pursuant to the provisions of the Agreement, this evaluation was conducted on September 18, 2018. The Employment Agreement also provides for merit consideration for salary increases at least once each year of employment. Such increases can be given based upon satisfactory or better performance during each year of employment. Increases may be in the form of salary increases or bonuses.
On June 10, 2015, Bob O'Neill, Executive Director of the International City and County Manager's Association (ICMA) published an article entitled City Manager's Pay: Lots of Factors Need to Be Considered. This is an excellent article that discusses the significant responsibilities of City Managers, as well as the challenges of functioning as a Chief Executive Officer in the public sector. It also provides very good perspective on the justification for City Manager compensation packages. A portion of the article noted in pertinent part as follows:
"City and county managers are held accountable for the performance of organizations that can include hundreds...of employees and the administration of budgets that can range from a few million dolla...

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