Salaries for 2021 Watertown city employees will be set Monday

January 4, 2021
Mike Tanner

WATERTOWN, S.D.–The Watertown City Council holds its first meeting of the new year tonight.

Agenda items include setting 2021 salaries for city employees.

If Resolution 21-01 is approved, seven city employees will make in excess of $100,000 a year.

Those are the yet-unfilled position of city manager, city attorney, public works director, finance officer, fire chief, police chief and wastewater superintendent.

Four other positions within city government–assistant fire chief, human resources director, parks, recreation and forestry director, and assistant police chief–would pay in excess of $90,000 a year.

Watertown will transition to a city manager-led form of government this summer, at which time the mayor’s position becomes a part-time job, with a part-time salary.

The council will vote tonight on whether to set the mayor’s salary at a little more than $80,000 a year for the first six months of 2021, but cutting it to $36,000 on July 1st, when the position becomes part-time.

The city council will also vote on a one-time payroll supplement of $1,200 for full-time city employees as a show of appreciation for working though the challenges of the  COVID-19 pandemic.