Extend Town Manager's Employment Contract with Raise - YES

The Town Manager is the single most important staff member in towns like Corte Madera, performing all the day-to-day tasks of running the Town that many people traditionally associate with mayors in larger cities like San Francisco or Oakland. The Town Manager is reports directly to the Town Council, and has ultimate responsibility for successfully implementing any policy the Council adopts.

Our Town Manager is Todd Cusimano, a former Twin Cities Police chief with a lifelong connection to Corte Madera. Todd became the Town Manager in 2016, and he has excelled in the role. Since 2008, Corte Madera has been in a period of dynamic challenges and opportunities unique to our Town's history. We've weathered two major recessions, a dramatic increase in the threat of both wildfire and flooding, and drastic changes in state housing policy, coupled with a period of rapid growth in the community's general affluence and property values (driven by regional economic forces) that has put pressure on many lower- fixed-income residents.

Todd has been key to Corte Madera's ability to successfully address some of these challenges, and to continue to navigate others. I tell residents and fellow public officials alike that he is Corte Madera's secret weapon, and has helped our Town serve its residents at a level truly unparalleled for a town of our size.

When Todd came to the Town Council with a request that we extend his employment contract for an additional year, to the end of 2027, I was thrilled. When he

We have a duty to use taxpayer dollars wisely, which means that even for outstanding employees like Todd, we generally try to keep our Town staff's compensation near the median for similar positions across the region. But Todd's total compensation ranked 9th out of Marin County's 11 city/town managers—despite his being, in my opinion, the highest performing of all.

After conducting a salary and compensation survey of local city managers and discussing the matter at two public hearings, I voted to include in Todd's extended contract an amendment scheduling a series of pay raises over the coming five years that mirror those agreed to between the Town and the various bargaining units that represent our other employees, representing parity between the manager and those he manages. Those raises are as follows:

2021: 2% ($4,608)

2022: 3% ($7,050)

2023: 3% ($7,249)

2024: 3.5% ($8,711)

2025: 3.5% ($9,016)

It is worth noting that, even after these raises, Todd's compensation will still be below the median for his role in Marin County.

I firmly believe that every penny of Todd's salary is taxpayer money well spent for our community, and continue to appreciate his outstanding service to the Town and its residents.