East Ridge City Manager Andrew HyattThe East Ridge City Council voted Thursday to raise the salary for City Manager Andrew Hyatt to $100,000, effective immediately.
Hyatt, who was previously manager of the Tennessee cities of Fairview and Etowah, has been the city manager for the Southeast Tennessee municipality of about 21,000 for just over six months.
Hyatt began his term with East Ridge on Oct. 21, 2013, at a salary of $90,000 a year. Hyatt was also offered $4,000 in moving expenses, two weeks of paid vacation, health insurance and use of the city’s Volkswagen Passat.
Councilman Marc Gravitt said that Hyatt, who had done an excellent job in the time he’s been with the city, deserved the pay raise, calling it “a bargain” compared to what the previous city manager had cost the city.
Prior to the council voting to hire Hyatt, the position of city manager had been empty for about eight months since being vacated by Tim Gobble’s resignation on Feb. 7, 2013.