New City Manager Gets $210,000 Contract

The city's incoming city manager was guaranteed a $210,000 salary today.

The approved a contract for Bob Johnson, currently one of three assistant city managers, during a meeting today at the .

Johnson was chosen on July 10 to replace Shawn Nelson, the current city manager, who will retire at the end of 2011.

To read about Nelson's retirement, click here.

Johnson will make less than 2/3 of Nelson's salary, according to his contract. The current city manager makes a base salary of $336,288 annually, according to the state controller's Local Government Compensation report.

Johnson is guaranteed to make no less than 110 percent of the next-highest paid city employee, according to City Attorney Peter Thorson.

To see a list of the 10 highest-paid city employees,

He will get $11,280 worth of benefits, $11,000 annually in deferred compensation to a retirement plan and seven and a half days of leave time annually. That same amount of unused leave time carries over to the next year, Thorson wrote in a report.

He will also get a vehicle allowance of $500 per month -- or $6,000 annually -- and be reimbursed for milage when traveling for city business.

Negotiating Johnson's contract lasted several months, according to Councilmember Chuck Washington.

The contract will save the city nearly $300,000, after Nelson's benefits and other compensations are taken into account, according to Councilmember Mike Naggar.

Before joining the city's staff, Johnson was the planning director for the County of Riverside.

"The best thing the City of Temecula ever did was stealing him from the County of Riverside," said Mayor Ron Roberts. "We got the best at a reasonable price."

Johnson's current position will be unfilled when he leaves, accoring to Thorson.

His future salary is in the lower third of the amount city managers get for managing Californian cities with populations of about 100,000, according to the State Controller's Office.

To see a schedule of city manager salaries in California, click on the photo gallery above.

Johnson will be employed at will, according to Thorson. "He can be terminated at any time, with or without cause, by Council action of three affirmative votes," the attorney wrote.

He cannot be fired within six months of a new city council member being elected. If terminated, he will get six months salary. He will get nothing if he is charged with or convicted of a felony or caught engaging in corrupt conduct, the report says.

The new manager's performance will be evaluated annually, the report stated.