By By JOHN EBY / Dowagiac Daily News
A 2-percent raise granted City Manager William H. Nelson Jr. Monday night boosts his base salary to $89,648 annually.
Nelson's contract also provides for a $532-a-month car allowance and annual $6,386 bonuses.
The adjustments to Nelson's employment agreement, which also include a 1-percent increase in his retirement contribution, follow Dowagiac City Council's annual review of his job performance and are effective Dec. 2, the seventh anniversary of his start date.
Mayor Donald D. Lyons said Nelson's review took place at the Michigan Municipal League convention in Detroit in September and "lasted almost eight hours, as I recall, and was thorough in every regard."
The mayor added, "Bill, I think, has set an excellent example for the staff and the community by taking what I would consider to be a fairly modest increase this year in lieu of one that might be more typical other than the financial circumstances that we now find ourselves in."
First Ward Councilman Darron Murray made the motion, supported by Third Ward Councilman Leon Laylin.