Council sets evaluations
Published 9:19 pm Monday, February 3, 2014
Suffolk City Council is set to conduct performance evaluations of its four appointees during its Wednesday work session.
Raises could follow the closed-session evaluations. In January last year, City Council gave City Manager Selena Cuffee-Glenn a 14-percent raise to $178,000 after adding a performance evaluation for her to its agenda at the last minute.
In addition to the city manager, City Attorney Helivi Holland, City Assessor Jean Jackson and City Clerk Erika Dawley are appointed directly by the council, which is the only body that can raise their salaries.
Also on the agenda, in the open portion of the work session, is a presentation on the capital improvements plan, which was approved by the Planning Commission last month. It includes $59 million in expenditures during the upcoming fiscal year, including $18 million for an operations maintenance facility, $10 million for the Holland Road widening project, $2 million to purchase land in North Suffolk for a combined elementary and middle school campus, $2 million for a feasibility study on the potential for a higher education component in the new library, $1.5 million for the Bennett’s Creek Recreation Center, $1.3 million for the police administration building expansion, and more.
The majority of the spending is expected to be financed through debt. The full 10-year plan totals $693.6 million.
In Wednesday’s regular session, City Council members will consider an amendment to the construction contract for a building to store police equipment. The amendment is needed because a variety of changes exceeded the original contract amount by 46 percent.
According to the agenda, the city decided to upgrade to a brick veneer façade on the building, located behind Precinct 2 on Bridge Road, when the contract came in well under budget. However, that change along with additional tree removals, a driveway, an additional water service line and other changes added up to more than $163,000.
Funding for the changes still is available in the project budget, according to the agenda.
The sessions will be held at City Council chambers, 441 Market St. The work session begins at 4 p.m., and the regular session begins at 7 p.m.