McAlester City Council to meet over city manager's raise

McALESTER, Okla. (AP) -- The McAlester City Council will meet Wednesday to discuss a pay raise given to City Manager Susan Monroe without the council's approval.<br/><br/>The $2,500 raise was given

Tuesday, April 25th 2006, 11:03 am

By: News On 6

McALESTER, Okla. (AP) -- The McAlester City Council will meet Wednesday to discuss a pay raise given to City Manager Susan Monroe without the council's approval.

The $2,500 raise was given in January with the approval of Mayor Don Lewis but the council wasn't notified.

Both Monroe and the mayor say the raise was agreed to by the council during a phone call before Monroe was hired last June. The raise brings Monroe's salary to $75,000 a year.

But Councilman Buddy Garvin says he doesn't remember any such verbal agreement and says the contract the council approved doesn't allow for a raise until after Monroe is on the job for one year.

Garvin says he wants Monroe to resign or be fired.

Monroe was hired after former City Manager Randy Green was fired in January 2005. Green was convicted last month of embezzlement for taking nearly $458,000 in unused leave time from the city.