Reilly settles for less than OC offered

Stephen Curran

Thursday, July 1, 2004 | 9:47 a.m.

Clark County Manager Thom Reilly, who last month turned down a lucrative offer to run one of the largest counties in the nation, says he will only ask for enough money to cover the rising cost of living when the County Commission votes on his employment agreement next week.

Expected to be 2.5 percent, the raise would bring Reilly's annual salary to about $185,000, still less than the $200,000 base salary his outgoing Orange County equivalent brought home.

A government headhunter in June approached Reilly to take over for Orange County Executive Officer James Ruth, who was hired as interim county executive officer in January 2003.

Reilly's current employment agreement, signed in June 2001, will expire July 31. However, commissioners say they expect few changes in his new three-year contract, which will come to a vote in a closed session during the commission's July 6 meeting.

Commissioner Bruce Woodbury said staff members had pressed for a more substantial increase -- perhaps to make his current position competitive against possible future job offers -- but Reilly asked only for the cost-of-living increase.

"I think if he (Reilly) were more open to it he would get something more because of the job he's done," Woodbury said, adding that management-level employees with Reilly's track record often receive a merit increase of up to 5 percent.

Rank-and-file county employees received a 3 percent cost-of-living increase this year, Woodbury said.

The Social Security Administration cost-of-living adjustment was set in October at 2.1 percent.

Since he took the post, Reilly, 43, has overseen the county's response to a fiscal crisis, the county's expanded responsibilities for environmental protection and an often tense relationship between the county and unionized county workers.

Clark County's total budget is $4.5 billion and employs about 9,300 people. In June, analysts from Moody's Investors Service and Standard & Poor's assigned the county its highest bond rating based on the health of local county government.

"He's extremely hard-working and his integrity is very high," Woodbury said. "He is someone who really has an attitude of getting things done."

Reilly said his request is part of an across-the-board effort to keep county management salaries in check, as Reilly was reponsible for doing away with cost-of-living increases in lieu of merit increases. Merit increases vary up to 9 percent based on an employee's performance.

The average management-level employee received a 4.7 percent raise, he said.

"I get paid a good salary now and I look for it (to cover) the cost of living increase," Reilly said. "I'm sure if I asked for more I probably could have gotten it. But I've been the one out there about how our salaries have increased."

Commission chairman Chip Maxfield said Reilly's decision set a positive precedent for county employees and that the modest request is typical of the county manager.

"He's always been concerned about setting a good precedent and has always asked for modest increases even though more is certainly well deserved," Maxfield said. "It's called lead(ing) by example."

An increase could potentially send the wrong message to county employees, many still reeling from the layoff of 20 managers to free up funding for other county needs, said commissioner Rory Reid.

"In that context it probably wouldn't be appropriate for him to ask for an increase."

The employment agreement also states that Reilly is eligible for a salary increase each August after his yearly performance evaluation.

Maxfield said he doesn't believe Reilly will be wooed away from Clark County by another job.

"Well-qualified leaders in any industry are always being courted by others and I believe that Thom has made a committment to Clark County," he said.