City Council gives city manager salary increase to $322,358

By Doug Spoon, Editor

The Menifee City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved a contract amendment for city manager Armando Villa, extending the agreement through 2029 and increasing his annual base salary to $322,358.

This represents the fourth contract extension for Villa, who came to the City of Menifee in December 2017, starting with a three-year contract at $205,000 a year. He received extensions and salary increases in 2018, 2019 and 2022. The approval, which represents a 5 percent salary increase, came two weeks after Council members conducted an annual evaluation of Villa.

Villa’s previous contract extension ran through 2026, so the City is now committed to pay him for an additional three years.

“The City is fortunate to have a city manager with his expertise and experience level,” Mayor Bill Zimmerman said. “It’s prudent that we make sure his salary is commensurate with the salary of city managers at other cities our size.”

Council member Bob Karwin agreed.

“Other City employees’ salaries fall within the range of other cities. We had one employee who didn’t – the city manager,” Karwin said. “People may not like what the city manager earns, but what he earns has been behind other city managers of cities our size.”

The numbers seem to bear that out. Salaries of city managers for Murrieta, Temecula, Lake Elsinore and Perris averaged $324,295 in 2023 – the latest figures available on the website Transparent California.

In addition, Villa’s contract extension increases his amount of “personal, sick and administrative leave” from 80 hours to 160.

Villa’s most recent administrative leave was not of his choosing. He spent four months on paid administrative leave during an “internal personnel investigation” from October through February. He was reinstated Feb. 12 and no explanation has ever been given for the investigation. Assistant city manager Rochelle Clayton remained on leave at the time and eventually left the City.

Villa’s contract extension was opposed in an email from someone called "Menifee Employees", claiming to be a group of current City employees. The email of protest was sent Wednesday to Menifee 24/7 and City Council members.

According to the group, City employees recently agreed to a 4 percent cost of living adjustment – half of what they sought – in negotiations with management.

"This email is coming from many concerned City employees that want to remain anonymous due to fear of retaliation," the email reads. "[Villa] already makes over $300k and you are giving him MORE than what we asked for and MORE than double what we actually got,” the email reads. “He already makes five times what some of us make. This is not right, not fair, unethical, selfish, greedy, and crappy leadership.

“We are NOT even talking about the four months off he received when on paid admin leave. How can you even reward him with all these bonuses when an email from Armando himself about the investigation stated that there were issues? He is the city manager and should be held accountable, and instead you're going to give him a giant raise that's equal to half of some of our salaries and more time off?”