In a unanimous April 9 vote, the Claremont City Council extended City Manager Adam Pirrie’s employment contract through February 23, 2028, and awarded him a merit bonus.

Pirrie’s annual salary is $240,000. Terms of his contract will remain the same through 2028, according to an email from Claremont Public Information Officer Bevin Handel. Pirrie’s $15,218 merit bonus was for performance excellence from March 2023 to March 2024, and comes on the heels of a recent employee evaluation by the council, according to the city.

Pirrie was named city manager on February 23, 2021, signing a one-year deal. Shortly before the expiration of that contract, the council moved to extend the agreement to February 23, 2026, while also moving the deadline for his annual performance evaluations to March 31. The council may award Pirrie future merit bonuses after each year’s performance evaluation.

“In accordance with Section 3.1 of the Agreement and Section 3.2 of the First Amendment, the City Council met in closed session on March 26, 2024 to evaluate Mr. Pirrie’s performance,” reads the contract amendment. “The City Council recognizes that Mr. Pirrie has continued to perform exceptionally well as City Manager. The City Council also recognizes it is in the best interests of the City Council, City staff, the community, and other stakeholders to have stability in the City Manager position. To that end, both parties desire to enter into this Second Amendment to the City Manager Employment Agreement to extend the term of the Agreement from February 23, 2026 to February 23, 2028.”

It’s worth noting that any term following the initial 2022 expiration date is said to be an “extended term” and, unless otherwise altered by this recent amendment, “all other terms and conditions of the Agreement and First Amendment shall remain in full force and effect.”

A separate resolution noted the merit award.

“The City Council awards to City Manager Adam Pirrie a one-time merit award of fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000.00), plus a 1.45 percent Medicare cost of two hundred eighteen dollars ($218.00) for a total of fifteen thousand, two hundred eighteen dollars ($15,218.00),” it reads. The city council also “unanimously agreed that the City Manager is continuing to do an excellent job and exceeding expectations in managing projects, maintaining a strong financial situation, and serving as a leader both within City Hall and in the community.”

The merit award will be paid from the city’s general fund. The bonus is not included in salary calculations for California Public Employees’ Retirement System payments, Handel wrote on the email.