Mill Creek’s new city manager negotiates ‘termination pay’

MILL CREEK — The city has signed a contract with its new city manager.

Rebecca Polizzotto, an assistant state attorney general in Alaska, is to take over as Mill Creek city manager June 1.

She negotiated a starting salary of $155,000 a year, with raises scheduled for the next two years. She is also to receive a $300-per-month car allowance and $10,000 for relocation costs.

Former City Manager Ken Armstrong was paid $144,200 a year before he was forced to resign Jan. 2. The council Nov. 25 had unanimously passed a resolution stating its intent to terminate him and another measure that put him on leave.

The council did not give a reason for getting rid of Armstrong. Like his predecessor, Timothy Burns, the city manager who was forced to resign from his $116,699-a-year job in 2012, Armstrong received three months of termination pay.

Polizzotto negotiated for more money should the council force her to resign, as it did Armstrong, Burns and two city managers before them.

If the City Council passes a resolution to terminate Polizzotto for reasons other than misconduct, fraud, being charged with a crime or unethical behavior on or before June 1, 2018, and she resigns, she is to be paid her salary for a year.

If that happens after June 1, 2018, she will be paid her salary for six months.

Polizzotto also negotiated raises for the next two years. Her pay is to increase to $157,000 on June 1, 2016. She is due for another raise, to $160,000, June 1, 2017.

After two years, whether to further increase her salary will be up to the City Council.

The city spent $23,000 to hire the firm Colin Baenziger &Associates to find a new city manager. Meanwhile, finance director Landy Manuel is acting city manager. He is being paid a 10 percent premium on his $116,556-a-year salary until Polizzotto starts in June.