The City Commission of the City of Lakeland on a unanimous vote approved amended and restated employment agreements for the city attorney and the city manager, created a standing City Manager/City Attorney Review Committee and set the city manager's base salary at $275,000.

Commissioners said the contract language was updated to create continuous-term agreements, clarify termination and severance provisions and remove a contractual requirement for an annual public review meeting. Palmer Davis, the city attorney, introduced the revised contracts and described the changes as aligning the agreements with contemporary practice and providing flexibility for the commission and the positions.

The commission said the changes were intended to make the contracts functional for whoever holds the positions, not tailored to any individual. Commissioner McLeod, who led the commission's review committee, said removing the contract's requirement for a public review meeting was deliberate: "As a commission, we still want to have that ability if we decide each year that we want to after their performance reviews, we wanna hold a public discussion and review. We have that ability, but it's not in the contract as it is today that requires us to do that." The commission discussed keeping the option while not mandating it in contract language.

Commissioners reviewed market comparables and a compensation study prepared by an outside consultant (Bolton) during debate on the city manager salary. Staff presented updated October 1 market comparisons that showed Lakeland's previously reported position moved relative to peers after other cities' October adjustments. After discussion of midpoints and the interplay of across-the-board adjustments and potential merit increases, the commission voted to codify a $275,000 base salary for the city manager in the amended agreement. The commission noted the city manager remains eligible for the same merit and across-the-board adjustments that apply to other employees under the city's pay policies.

The commission also voted to create a standing City Manager/City Attorney Review Committee, codified by resolution (25-068), to provide continuity and a structured review process for future commissions. Commissioners said the panel is intended to ensure annual performance reviews occur and to reduce the risk of large, unbudgeted severance payouts if a leadership change were required.

All motions on the contracts, the resolution creating the committee and the salary amendment passed unanimously.