Peoria city manager to get 15% pay increase. New salary will be among Valley's highest

After completing one full year on the job, Peoria City Manager Henry Darwin is set to get a roughly 15% pay bump Tuesday night.

The Peoria City Council is slated to approve an amendment to Darwin’s employment contract, increasing his annual salary from $275,000 to $317,255 — making him one of the top-earning chief executives among Valley cities.

In the agenda report for Tuesday night’s meeting, the city said the raise “will more closely align the City Manager with peer counterparts in the Valley.”

The council will consider the pay hike on the consent portion of the meeting’s agenda, meaning it will be voted as part of a block of items approved in one single vote and without discussion.

Consent agenda items are considered routine or non-controversial or were previously discussed or reviewed by the council.

Mayor Jason Beck and the rest of the council recently completed an “appraisal” of Darwin’s employment, the city said in a report in preparation of the vote.

The agenda for the Jan. 16 meeting shows the council met in executive session — their closed-door meeting — to discuss Darwin’s workplace evaluation.

Darwin, a former chief operating officer for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the state of Arizona, was hired to head up the city in a 4-3 vote by the City Council a year ago last month.

Beck, who took office after the 2022 election, nominated Darwin for the role based on his leadership experience in government. The three councilmembers who opposed Darwin’s initial contract — Brad Shafer, Bill Patena and Michael Finn — previously expressed concerns with the lack of a formal hiring process.

Darwin manages a city of nearly 198,000 residents and with an operating budget of $416.4 million.

Following a study session at 5 p.m., council members will convene the regular portion of Tuesday's meeting at 6 p.m. in the City Council Chambers of Peoria City Hall at 8401 W. Monroe St.

Shawn Raymundo covers the West Valley cities of Glendale, Peoria and Surprise. Reach him at sraymundo@gannett.com or follow him on X @ShawnzyTsunami.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Peoria city manager to get 15% pay increase, earn near top for Valley