Fountain Hills residents and council members were divided on four town staff position raises during the council’s final regular meeting before summer recess on Tuesday, June 16.
The council ultimately approved the contract increases by 5-2 vote with councilmembers Peggy McMahon and Brenda Kalivianakis voting no, as contracts for the town manager, town attorney, prosecutor and presiding judge/magistrate were tied together in one agenda item. However, it was the contract for attorney Jen Wright that drew discord among the dais and residents.
Each of the contracts was adjusted for the consumer price index of 3.3%, though Wright received roughly a 7.6% increase over that to $240,000 and town manager Rachael Goodwin’s salary increased from $206,268 to $238,074. The presiding judge Robert Melton saw an approximate 3.8% raise to $104,547 and the town prosecutor rose from $144,766 to $150,267.
