Cedar Rapids City Council to vote on city manager pay raise

CEDAR RAPIDS — The Cedar Rapids City Council will vote today on a pay increase for City Manager Jeff Pomeranz. The raise is part of the consent agenda for the meeting that will begin at 4 p.m. at City Hall.

A document attached to the meeting agenda puts the proposed increase at 3.5 percent, retroactive to Sept. 20. Pomeranz’s current salary is $379,475. A 3.5 percent increase would raise it to $392,757.

The council conducted its annual performance evaluation for the city manager in closed session on Dec. 3. No action was taken in open session.

Items on the consent agenda typically are not discussed and are approved with one vote. Items can be removed from the consent agenda by the council for discussion and action if they wish.

In 2017, the council approved a retention bonus plan for Pomeranz. For remaining an employee through March 18, 2023, referred to in the plan as “the retirement date,” he earned a bonus of $131,027. He will receive a bonus of $25,000 per year if he stays in his role in good standing beyond age 65.

That once-a-year bonus is separate from the city manager base pay increase on Tuesday’s agenda. Pomeranz’s deferred compensation — money set aside for retirement in lieu of participating in IPERS, the state’s public retirement system — is 32 percent of his wages. He also receives $300 per month as a vehicle allowance.

Pomeranz became Cedar Rapids' city manager in September 2010. He manages a staff of more than 1,200, including about a dozen department directors.