Facing scrutiny, Sarasota city clerk’s proposed $44K raise was pulled from agenda

UPDATE: On Friday, city spokesperson Jan Thornburg said the proposal was still scheduled for a vote Monday, though the city clerk declined to confirm that herself. But in the opening moments of Monday’s meeting, the clerk withdrew the agenda item. Commissioners unanimously approved the motion to withdraw without public discussion. The tabled proposal may resurface at a later date.

A surprise proposal to make Sarasota’s city auditor and clerk the highest-paid employee on the city’s payroll was shelved — at least for now.

The $44,000 raise, quietly added to Monday’s City Commission agenda, would boost Clerk Shayla Griggs’ salary by 25%, from $196,247 to $240,000. That figure exceeds the pay of the city manager, department heads and police chief, and would place Griggs among the highest-paid municipal clerks in Florida.

But after the item began circulating in City Hall and on social media, officials said Thursday it would be withdrawn to allow more time for discussion and additional information. The item was officially removed on Monday.

“There’s nothing in there — no information,” City Commissioner Jen Ahearn-Koch said of the agenda item. “You want to see it make sense, and that additional information will help us.”

The proposal offered few details, stating only that Griggs is the only charter official earning less than five non-chartered positions in the city, including four department heads. 

Griggs did not return calls seeking comment Thursday, and a city spokesperson declined to elaborate.

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Appointed clerk five years ago, Griggs has received only standard cost-of-living increases since taking the role. The city noted her responsibilities extend beyond the traditional clerk’s duties — including oversight of Internal Audit and Pension administration, as well as leading the current search for a new city manager. That trifecta of responsibilities is rare for a clerk position, according to the city.

Still, the lack of supporting documentation left some commissioners and City Hall observers questioning the timing and justification for such a substantial increase — particularly as the municipality considers raising taxes and freezing pay for most other employees.

“It’s just bad timing,” said Martin Hyde, a former City Commission candidate. “Regardless of your political views, the mentality is that it is a bottomless pit (of money). When is it going to end?”

Hyde said the proposal “doesn’t pass the sniff test,” pointing to the absence of data comparing salaries across municipalities or any substantive justification of the need for such a raise at this time.

While the roles of a clerk can vary from city to city, with some reporting to the elected commission and others directly to a strong-mayor, their functions on staff are generally the same: preparing agendas, recording official meeting minutes and processing public records requests.

Public records show the city clerk in Venice earns about $158,500 annually, while Tampa’s clerk — serving a population nearly seven times larger than Sarasota’s — makes just under $184,000. The elected Sarasota County clerk and comptroller earns $185,000 and also serves as clerk of the courts.

Under the tabled proposal, Griggs would earn $55,000 more than her county counterpart, records show.

Because the city clerk is one of three charter officers — along with the city manager and city attorney — only the commission has authority to approve her compensation.

Suncoast Searchlight reached out to all five commissioners. Two responded, both saying they wanted to evaluate the request based on tenure, performance, and comparables before making a decision.

“Considerations include length of time since last salary review, whether job responsibilities have changed and quality of job performance,” Vice Mayor Debbie Trice wrote in a text message to Suncoast Searchlight. She declined to discuss specifics, citing Sunshine Law concerns. “Another issue would be salary in relation to what peers are being paid.”

Commissioners told Suncoast Searchlight they expect the proposal to return later this year.

Josh Salman is deputy editor/senior investigative reporter for Suncoast Searchlight, a nonprofit newsroom of the Community News Collaborative serving Sarasota, Manatee, and DeSoto counties. Learn more at suncoastsearchlight.org. 

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