City of Watertown employees will see pay raises in 2023

January 17, 2023

Mike Tanner

WATERTOWN, S.D.–The Watertown City Council meets tonight (Tuesday night), one day later than normal due to Monday’s Martin Luther King Junior holiday.

The agenda includes Resolution 23-02, setting salaries for some city employees in 2023.

The salaries are arrived at by using what’s known as a wage matrix with a pay grade attached to individual employees.

The highest paid city employee will be City Manager Amanda Mack. If the salary resolution is approved as expected by the council, Mack will earn $160,056. When she started as city manager in June 2021, her salary was $142,000, meaning she’s received a pay raise of more than $18,000 in the roughly 18 months she’s been on the job.

Watertown’s Police and Fire Chiefs, Tim Toomey and Don Rowland respectively, are each scheduled to make $123,510.40 this year. Last year, they made $115,502.40.

According to Resolution 23-02 to be voted on tonight, the salaries of Watertown’s Finance Officer ($118,726.40), Public Works Director ($155,959.44), Solid Waste Superintendent ($115,799.38), Watertown Fire Rescue’s Assistant Chief ($112,320.00), and the Director of Parks and Recreation ($112,320.00) are all scheduled to earn six-figure salaries in 2023.

Mayor Ried Holien, a part-time city employee, will make $38,520. The salaries of the six city council members will be $12,840.

Also on tonight’s agenda are applications for new on-off sale Wine and Cider Licenses for Watertown’s three Casey’s General Stores at 185 4th Street Northeast, 20 19th Street Northeast and 405 10th Street Southwest.