ALTUS – A committee that will be formed by Altus Mayor Robert Garrison will decide if and how much of a pay increase the city’s three elected employees can receive.
Altus is one of a handful of cities that require their police chief and street commissioner to be elected. The mayor has not yet selected the panel’s members, City Manager Gary Jones said. The city clerk must also be elected by Altus residents, but several other cities have that requirement.
Garrison could not be reached for comment on the timeline to select the committee members.
Tim Murphy serves as police chief; Debbie Davis is the clerk and treasurer, and Chad Osborne is the street commissioner. Murphy earns $80,995 a year while Osborne is paid $77,147 and Davis makes $58,084 annually.
Murphy and Davis were elected to their first terms in 2011. Davis and Osborne said they intend to file for re-election in December. Murphy was not available for comment.
The committee will review each employee’s job duties and performance and compare the Altus positions with those of comparable sized cities in Oklahoma and other states, according to Jones. The panel will make recommendations to the city council, which has the final determination for salary adjustments. The Altus City Charter requires the council to formally set the salaries by ordinance.
Any salary increase for the police chief and street commissioner would be awarded after the winner of the 2023 election takes the oath of office in April. The city clerk would not be eligible for the raise until after the 2024 election since she is in the middle of a new four-year term. Davis was re-elected as city clerk last year.
The salary review committee can include four or fewer council members due to Open Meetings Law requirements, Jones said.