REHOBOTH BEACH, DE -- Two days into his job as the new Rehoboth Beach City Manager, Taylour Tedder faces the city's future and critics of his generous compensation package.
Tedder's compensation package includes an annual salary of $250,000, $50,000 for move-in assistance, and a $750,000 housing loan that will be forgiven if Tedder remains with the city for seven years.
The substantial financial commitment has raised concerns among residents, especially as the city has recently raised both property taxes and parking fees to meet their proposed $38.6 million dollar budget.
"Everyone will welcome him, but at this point, given that we had a budget shortfall of $4 million in March, there should have been even more spending cuts than I observed," says Rehoboth Beach resident Suzanne Goode. "It seemed like an odd time to be quite so lavish in hiring a city manager."
However, Tedder comes to the job with more than a decade of local government and economic development experience as an assistant city manager in Leavenworth, Kansas and most recently, the city manager in Boulder City, Nevada. He says his background will help justify his $250,000 annual salary.
"I have a track record of generating large cost savings in the other jurisdictions that I've worked for and identifying ways to diversify revenue, so that's my goal, to make me pay for myself," says Tedder.
Tedder insists his focus is on bettering the city in the long run.
"How the compensation package was structured was so that it would incentivize someone to stay a long time, and I think that was the goal that was accomplished," says Tedder. "I definitely want to stay a long time and provide that stability for the organization."
Tedder says he will take a close look at the city's expenditures and cost savings and looks forward to the next budget cycle. He encourages people to come meet him and express their concerns for the city.
