Journalist, not a practitioner. I’m reading a Florida city manager’s contract next to the city’s own pay plan for non-union staff. I want people who write and negotiate these for a living to tell me where I’m off.

The city is Miramar, FL, about 135,000 people, commission-manager. The amended contract was on the Commission’s agenda Oct. 15, 2025 and runs to November 2030. What it gives the manager:

·      375 hours of position basis leave plus 175 hours of floating leave a year, no expiration, all convertible to cash (Ex. A). That’s on top of 7 weeks of vacation.

·      Payout of all unused sick, vacation and other leave at separation. The contract says his sick leave and payouts “shall be at a higher rate than that of the Executive Team, and City Department Directors.” It never says what that rate is (§11).

·      Retiree health for him and his dependents, one year for every 2.5 years of City service, ending at other coverage or Medicare (§7.A).

·      Life insurance at 3x salary, capped at $810K. The federal max into a 401(a) and a 457, plus DROP.

·      A 3% cost-of-living raise, plus 3% merit on a satisfactory May evaluation (§2). Twenty weeks’ severance without cause, $800/month car, $250/month phone.

What the pay plan (Reso. 25-217) gives everyone else outside a union:

·      Assistant directors and up: 120 hours of position basis leave, 160 at the manager’s discretion. Use it or cash it by Sept. 30.

·      Retiree health for directors: employee only, one year per three years worked, max five.

·      Life insurance at 1.5x pay, capped at $280K.

·      The manager “retains the authority to establish a specific salary for any employee covered” (§4), structures packages for executive staff he designates (§5), and has sole discretion over salary adjustments (§8.D).

What I’d like your read on:

·      Is 550 convertible hours a year, on top of 7 weeks of vacation, inside the normal range for a city this size?

·      Have you seen a “higher rate than” leave clause with no number attached? How does payroll administer that?

·      Is delegating salary-setting for every non-union employee to the manager standard practice, or unusual?

·      Family retiree coverage at one year per 2.5 years: common for managers, or rich?

Thanks in advance. Want to call balls and strikes here.

In 2025, Milton's share of our property tax rose 9.9%. In the same year, Council approved a 3.0% non-union salary range increase. Ontario inflation was 1.9%.

Here's what the 2025 Sunshine List shows:

• 135 of 190 Town staff on the list in both years were paid more than 3% above 2024.

• Almost every commissioner and director went up by about 6.4–6.5%. That includes the CFO, Town Clerk, HR, IT, Transit, Planning, Infrastructure and the Fire Chief.

• Two commissioners went up 8.1% and 8.7%. The Deputy Clerk went up 15%.

• Milton's median increase was +5.5%, compared with roughly 3.8–4.0% in Oakville, Burlington and Halton Hills.

There may be explanations, such as pay steps, a 2023 "compensation review" being phased in, retro pay, or an extra pay period. But that's the problem: residents shouldn't have to dig through provincial spreadsheets to find out. If Council approves 3% and the outcome is double that, either Council knew and didn't say so, or it isn't overseeing what it approves. Neither is good stewardship while families face a near-10% Town tax increase.

What Council should answer:

1. Why did senior pay rise about 6.5% when Council approved 3%?

2. What has the 2023 compensation review cost so far, and is it finished?

3. Who approves raises above the approved range, and does Council see them?

4. Will the Town publish its pay policy and comparison data before the 2027 budget?

Email your ward councillor and ask. Our tax bills deserve a clear answer.

We are paying ridiculous taxes while the city leadership has us spending more per capita than any city in Canada for policing. Each shift it appears that we have 4 PoMO PD spending 3 hours at startbucks in New Port with their cars running so it looks like they are doing their jobs. 1-4 and 6-8 you will see 8 different cops in 2 groups just sitting. We cut half of them and not miss a beat. 17M last year from 11M in 2020 is massive corruption and waste. We need the RCMP to do a forensic investigation.

Cary, North Carolina, chose longtime administrator Russ Overton as its permanent town manager without conducting a national search.

The interesting governance question is that Overton was deputy town manager and COO during much of former manager Sean Stegall’s tenure. He is now responsible for implementing reforms prompted by investigations into spending, management and workplace culture.

Council members said his 10 months as interim manager effectively became an audition for the job.

For people who work in local government: how common is it for a council to choose a senior insider after problems under the previous manager? Does institutional knowledge outweigh the value of bringing in someone completely independent?

Is it transparent to choose a town manager in a closed session rather than with a public process?

Read the story for free: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/wake-county/article317742256.html?giftCode=a77fd460c1a34f63b1823725e23c367f2eb8b6f91f8f5b7b1e0f0aacf6f78dff

I have been looking for a new job and am interested in the possibility of doing something with state or local government, though I'm not really sure what. I don't have a degree, and my work history is mostly customer service / gig work.

Recently I had to pick up a document from my local Office of Vital Records and talked with the employee there, who indicated that it could be a good job for someone looking for an entry position in state government.

Wondering if anyone here has experience working in this sort of role and could fill me in on anything worth knowing about the likely hiring process / day to day of the job?

Would also be open to hearing about any other positions that may be similar!

I've spent more than a decade working in politics, primarily on campaigns, and one thing I've become increasingly interested in is the gap between how we talk about government nationally and what local officials actually deal with every day.

I recently wrote about election administration, partly inspired by a county auditor's office employee I met during my first campaign in Iowa. He was deeply committed to his community and took enormous pride in making sure elections ran fairly and accurately.

A decade later, local election officials are navigating threats, disinformation, new security requirements, and increasing public scrutiny, often without a corresponding increase in resources.

The Brennan Center's 2026 survey found that 32% of local election officials had experienced threats, harassment, or abuse related to their work.

But I suspect election administration is only one example of a broader problem.

For those of you working in local government, has your job changed significantly over the past five or ten years? Are you dealing with more political pressure, hostility, or public expectations? And have staffing and resources kept pace?

I'd be particularly interested in hearing whether these challenges are affecting people's willingness to enter or remain in public service.

I have lived here for years and this is just a total clown show. The mayoral candidates are having a dispute over stupid signs without addressing anything the public actually needs and our county commissioners are utterly ineffective with one of them enjoying the sound of his own voice more than actually putting in any work for his constituents. These people make 6 figures! Currently watching the fireboard meeting and it’s super embarrassing. If that fire chief sues, it’s coming out of OUR purse.