The City of Killeen voted to compensate the city manager for a successful first year.
Killeen City Manager, Ron Olson was hired on Feb. 7, 2017.
"All seven council members agreed that he has done an excellent job, outstanding," Jim Kilpatrick, Killeen's Mayor Pro Tem, said.
Kilpatrick said Olson's done more in one year than others could do in five which is why the city council voted during their meeting to reward him for it.
"We evaluated his contract and then made some adjustments to compensate him for that effort, and it's also a method of showing our confidence in him but also it's expectations of future work, too," Kilpatrick added.
Olson's salary of $225,000 is not changing.
But, council members did vote to raise his deferred compensation from $18,000 to $22,000 per year as well as add two more weeks of vacation.
"I feel very strongly of his dedication to this city, his commitment to our city. And to give him, not lip service by saying great job Mr. Olson, we gave him some compensation increases to show him our appreciation," Kilpatrick said.
But, it wasn't a unanimous vote.
Councilman Gregory Johnson says he voted against hiring Olson a year ago and said no to the benefits boost.
"I voted against it because I don't believe any city employee should be making $200,000 per year. And it doesn't matter whether he's doing a good job or not," Gregory Johnson, Councilmember At Large, said.
But, no matter the opposition, it's a done deal for Olson who still makes about the same amount of money as city managers in other cities like Killeen.
| CITY | POPULATION | CITY MANAGER SALARY |
| Killeen | 143,400 | $225,000 |
| Lubbock | 252,506 | $255,000 |
| Mesquite | 144,788 | $220,000 |
| McAllen | 142,212 | $252,000 |
| Harker Heights | 29,142 | $138,320 |
Source: Texas City Management Association, 2017-18 City Management Compensation Survey
Copyright 2018 KXXV. All rights reserved.
