San Antonio City Manager Sheryl Sculley has announced that she will forgo any performance bonus awarded in 2018, which would have cost the city up to $100,000.
The announcement comes less than two weeks after Sculley announced she will be retiring in 2019. Sculley released the following statement in regards to the news.
Although the Council previously developed and approved the criteria for awarding 2018 performance pay and much has been accomplished this year, I had already communicated to the Mayor that I will forego any performance pay for 2018. When I announced my retirement, I agreed to stay to ensure an orderly transition to the new city manager. I have dedicated 13 years of city management to San Antonio and look forward to assisting with the transition in the coming months.
Sculley was given a $75,000 bonus for her 2017 performance. The bonus was awarded on top of her annual salary of $475,000, which was increased by $25,000 from the prior year.
Sculley's retirement will go into effect no later than June 30, 2019, according to a release from the city.
Sculley served under four different mayors, supervising more than 12,000 employees and a $2.7 billion budget in the process. She often received the credit for improving city finances and helping to shepherd three massive bond packages.
But San Antonio Councilman Greg Brockhouse, who called for Sculley's resignation earlier this month, described her decision as fallout from Election Day 2018.
Before Sculley announced she would be turning down the bonus Monday, Brockhouse released another statement calling on city leaders to force a public vote on Sculley's annual performance bonus.
Once again, the Mayor and City Council are scheduled to discuss the City Manager’s bonus in Executive Session. On the heels of a citywide vote that mandated change in the compensation structure of the City Manager, the least the full City Council can do is engage a public discussion and public vote. As a reminder, no decisions or action can be taken in Executive Session, so the only place to award a bonus is in a public forum. Last year I did not support a bonus and I will not be supporting one this year. If a bonus is awarded, the City Manager should consider the example set by SAWS CEO Robert Puente’s refusal to accept bonus compensation in light of intense public backlash.