GREEN RIVER – A vehicle allowance, a yearly retention bonus, and more are part of Green River’s compensation to City Administrator Reed Clevenger.
Clevenger’s salary is contractually set at $162,573 a year, or $78.16 an hour. This amount falls in line with an amount recently reported in an updated publication of salaries issued by the city, where his salary was listed as $165,011, or $79.33 an hour. The Green River City Council can change the salary but cannot lower it below the contractually agreed amount unless it’s part of a larger plan impacting the entire city.
Questions arose about Clevenger’s compensation following an erroneous salary publication the city submitted to the Green River Star, which cited Clevenger’s salary as $237,462.
However, the listed salary alone doesn’t cover Clevenger’s total compensation.
An amendment to the contract dated April 18, 2023, and approved by the Council also gives Clevenger a monthly vehicle allowance of $800 per month, granting him an additional $9,600 per year for a personal vehicle. This is an increase from the originally contracted amount of $600 per month. Along with that, the April 2023 amendment also adds a retention bonus to Clevenger’s compensation, amounting to $15,000 per fiscal year and is paid through a lump sum payment scheduled every six months. The payment was made retroactive to fiscal year 2023, which started July 1, 2022.
Clevenger’s contract also allows for lump sums to be paid based off his unused compensation time. He receives 120 hours of compensation time at the start of each fiscal year on July 1. Unused compensation time remaining on June 30 is paid out in a lump sum, which using the position’s contractual salary amounts to $9,379.21 for the 120 hours.
Vacation time can be a source of income for Clevenger as well. He is contractually allowed to cash in 40 hours of vacation time once per fiscal year, which amounts to $3,126.40 based off the contract salary. He is limited to a maximum of 280 hours of vacation total and accrues vacation time at a rate of 7.70 hours per pay period.
Benefits granted to Clevenger include all benefits and health coverage granted to administrative employees and department directors of the city, with any improvements on those benefits automatically applying to Clevenger. Clevenger is also enrolled in a city-sponsored 457 retirement plan, as well as a Wyoming Retirement System plan. According to the 2023 contract amendment, “the city will fund contributions to said (457) plan in an amount made by the city thereto to be in an annual amount up to that as allowed by law.” The contract states the IRS sets contribution limits to 457 plans each calendar year, which in 2023 is $22,500.
Green River Mayor Pete Rust previously defended the compensation provided to Clevenger, saying the amount is set by examining what other high-level administrators earn in the area. He said the city attempts to maintain a package that’s competitive within the area.
“You have to look at the market in this area,” Rust previously told SweetwaterNOW. “We try to be competitive with our salary without being excessive.”
Much of Clevenger’s work isn’t locked to a standard work schedule and includes attendance at the Council’s regularly scheduled meetings and workshops. Clevenger also serves on boards that help promote the city’s goals, such as the Sweetwater Economic Development Coalition, where he is the vice chairman.
Rust also said Clevenger’s skillset has saved the city millions of dollars during the eight years he’s been the city administrator and said Clevenger’s expertise and opinion are often sought after by other leaders.
The term of the contract between the Council and Clevenger began July 1, 2022, and expires June 30, 2025. Clevenger has worked as the city administrator since March 2015, being hired after working for the Sweetwater One Foundation in Rock Springs.
