Gridley City Administrator Elisa Arteaga, whose salary was set at a reduced rate April 20 after she declined a previously approved pay increase. Photo courtesy of LinkedIn

 

GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) - The Gridley City Council on April 20 approved a revised employment agreement for City Administrator Elisa Arteaga, setting her salary at a lower amount after she declined a previously approved pay raise.

The action finalized contract terms first approved in a split March 16 vote, when the council backed a higher salary for Arteaga following her annual performance review and negotiations. That earlier action followed a regional salary study completed last summer aimed at aligning Gridley’s management pay with comparable agencies and addressing what officials claim are recruitment and retention challenges.

Under the new agreement, Arteaga’s base salary was set at $190,572 annually, or $15,881 per month, effective immediately. The new salary reflects a reduction of $51,497 from the amount initially approved by the council on March 16.

Arteaga serves as an at-will employee at the discretion of the City Council and is responsible for directing, administering and coordinating the city’s administrative operations. The contract also outlines standard provisions for benefits, retirement contributions and administrative leave.

Also included on the April 20 agenda were employment agreements for Public Works Director Jerry Cox and Electric Director Ryan Carlson, both of whom had been serving in interim roles prior to formal appointment.

Cox’s agreement sets his base salary at $149,520 annually, or $12,460 per month.

Carlson’s agreement establishes a base salary of $253,872 annually, or $21,156 per month, the highest among the three contracts approved.

As electric director, Carlson oversees the city’s municipal electric utility, including system operations, maintenance, infrastructure planning and regulatory compliance. The role includes managing power supply agreements, ensuring system reliability and safety, overseeing capital improvement projects and supervising department personnel responsible for delivering electric service to Gridley residents and businesses.

Backlash over public employee salaries remained central to the discussion, despite no public comment at the April 20 meeting. Criticism in the public square in recent weeks focused in part on what residents described as a “leapfrog effect,” where increasing salaries in one jurisdiction drive increases in neighboring agencies.

Councilmember Catalina Sanchez said she could not support the contracts, pointing largely to the electric director’s salary and the negative reaction following the city’s first action on the city administrator’s contract.

“I do support the individuals that are subject to this role, and the individuals that are occupying these positions of leadership for the city are extremely qualified,” Sanchez said. “My vote tonight is not reflective of the individual, but rather of the economic situation … and concerns about whether this is appropriate for a town of our size to be paying this salary.”

Vice Mayor Bruce Johnson aligned with those concerns.

Councilmembers James Roberts and Angel Calderon, along with Mayor Michael Farr, supported the contracts, forming the majority that approved the agreements.

The April 20 action completes the contract process for all three positions.