Soledad reinstates assistant city manager role, council amends salary schedule

The Soledad City Council unanimously approved resolution number 6,321 on Jan. 14 to reinstate the assistant city manager classification and amend the city’s salary schedule, a move city leaders said is intended to strengthen internal oversight and free the city manager to pursue strategic priorities.

City Manager Megan described how the council once had an assistant city manager position, why the role was phased out after the loss of redevelopment funding, and how recent population and housing increases, plus greater grant and utility complexity, have increased administrative demands. She said the ACM would take on administrative oversight of finance, human resources and utilities and help build institutional knowledge and succession planning.

Fiscal details: Megan proposed canceling the city’s contract for financial services to offset part of the new hire. She estimated an offset of roughly $150,000–$175,000, leaving a net incremental annual cost of approximately $125,000; she listed a top proposed ACM salary of $234,623.20. For the remainder of the current fiscal year, if hired promptly, the incremental cost was estimated at about $36,500.

Council discussion: members voiced support while asking for ongoing transparency about costs and benefits; several asked that council reports show how the position advances strategic goals (housing and economic development) and that staff produce public‑facing dashboards of strategic plan progress.

The council voted to adopt the resolution. Staff said the position will be advertised and recruited per municipal hiring rules, and that subsequent reports will include measures showing how the role contributes to cost recovery, contracting efficiency and strategic priority delivery.