{"id":396539,"date":"2026-09-11T04:20:09","date_gmt":"2026-09-11T04:20:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/396539\/"},"modified":"2026-09-11T04:20:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T04:20:09","slug":"tallahassee-residents-question-new-city-managers-317k-salary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/396539\/","title":{"rendered":"Tallahassee residents question new city manager’s $317K salary"},"content":{"rendered":"

DOWNTOWN TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) \u2014 Tallahassee’s new city manager Karen Jumonville is locked in for a $317,000 annual salary \u2014 and the price tag is raising eyebrows among some residents.
Some of those concerns were voiced at Wednesday’s City Commission meeting.<\/a><\/p>\n

WATCH FULL REPORT BELOW:<\/p>\n

Tallahassee neighbors raise questions about new city manager’s $317,000 salary<\/p>\n

“The expensive, out-of-line for cities of our size. We’re not Tampa. This is exactly the reason why so many of neighbors are planning to vote yes on Amendment Three,” Marsha Rule said.<\/p>\n

“The contract before us is fiscally irresponsible and lacks the necessary safeguards to protect taxpayers of the city. First, let’s talk about the salary. A base of 317,000 is an incredibly high starting point,” Tiffany Hill said.<\/p>\n

Mayor John Dailey negotiated the contract.<\/p>\n

He said while the salary is competitive \u2014 and the same amount Reese Goad would have received \u2014 it isn’t the most expensive.<\/p>\n

A comparison of city manager salaries in cities of similar population size shows:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat she [director of human resources] will tell you is that a municipality of our size that owns and operates all of the utilities, actually what we have agreed upon and what is being proposed is lower than the average salary of a position of this kind in other municipalities, so the fact that Dr. Jumonville has agreed to it, I am very thankful,\u201d Dailey said Wednesday.<\/p>\n

City managers typically carry a massive amount of responsibility.<\/p>\n

According to a 2018 position summary<\/a>, they act as the city’s “CEO” \u2014 managing and overseeing citywide operations like public safety, budgets, utilities and nearly 3,000 other positions<\/a>.<\/p>\n

They also carry out commission policies and direction.<\/p>\n

During the search process, Tallahassee’s starting salary was advertised as “open and dependent upon qualifications,” according to a brochure<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Jumonville and Goad took similar paths to the role \u2014 both starting as long-time employees of the city and serving as deputy city managers. Goad served as an interim city manager<\/a>, whereas Jumonville spent years as the growth management director.<\/a><\/p>\n

Jumonville released a statement ahead of her start date.<\/p>\n

“I am honored the City Commission has entrusted me to further advance the City of Tallahassee’s culture of excellence. I am looking forward to October 1 and committed to leading an organization where collaboration is expected, diverse perspectives are valued, and innovation is encouraged. I believe that by working together, we will ensure Tallahassee’s next chapter is one we will all be proud of.\u201d<\/p>\n

I submitted a public records request for Goad’s most recent agreement. It is still being processed.<\/p>\n

Jumonville starts Oct. 1.<\/p>\n

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.<\/p>\n

Want to see more local news? Visit the WTXL ABC 27 Website. <\/a><\/p>\n

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