PORT ANGELES — The Clallam Transit board has approved a $3,000 raise for General Manager Kevin Gallacci.
Board members voted 7-0 Wednesday to increase Gallacci’s annual salary from $112,630 to $115,630, a 2.67 percent bump.
The action came after the board discussed Gallacci’s qualifications in an hour-long executive session.
“I appreciate the good performance review, and I appreciate the raise,” Gallacci said in a Thursday interview.
Other amendments to Gallacci’s employment contract will be considered Nov. 20.
Gallacci, a former Clallam Transit maintenance manager, was hired as general manager in August 2017.
He has worked for Clallam Transit since 1984.
“My perspective is that we’ve made a lot of progress this year, and I feel very confident in the leadership and management that you’re providing for Clallam Transit,” Mark Ozias, Transit board member and Clallam County commissioner, told Gallacci.
“I thank you very much for that leadership and stewardship.”
The Transit board had discussed the employment contract over several meetings in recent months.
Gallacci’s raise was based on a merit scale established by previous board action.
“As the newest person here, I don’t have any historical perspective, but there was some controversy in previous years,” said Ted Miller, Clallam Transit board member and Sequim City Council member.
“I just want to say that I’m extremely impressed. I think that Kevin has been doing a great job.”
Ozias said Gallacci had helped the board “apply its voice.”
“Not only did we come out of all of our work this year with the board feeling like we understand our role and felling engaged appropriately, but also that the voices of transit staff felt respected and honored and heard as a part of that process,” Ozias said.
“That was particularly meaningful to me.”
Miller made a motion to increase the general manager’s yearly compensation from $3,000 to $3,500. That motion failed 5-2.
Lindsey Schromen-Wawrin, Transit board member and Port Angeles City Council member, said the $3,000 raise was consistent with a policy that the board had recently adopted.
“We established the guideposts, and when we disregard the guideposts, where does that leave us?” Schromen-Wawrin said.
“This is the first time we’ve used this policy.”
After approving the $3,000 raise, the board debated whether to strike cost of living adjustments from the salary section of Gallacci’s employment contract.
Schromen-Wawrin withdrew a motion to approve an amended employment agreement that stated the board “may increase the general manager’s salary at any time and may include consideration of cost of living adjustments.”
“I’ll leave it to the rest of the board to sort this out, but I also don’t agree with being silent on cost of living adjustment and whether that is or is not something the board can consider in salary adjustments,” Schromen-Wawrin said.
A subsequent motion to table the issue was approved unanimously.
“Next steps are going to be that [transit attorney] Craig [Miller] is going to work on trying to capture appropriately the nature of what we’ve discussed today,” Ozias said.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsula dailynews.com.
Juanita Weissenfels, Clallam Transit board chair and Forks City Council member, left, and General Manager Kevin Gallacci are shown at the transit meeting. (Rob Ollikainen/Peninsula Daily News)
