Monrovia City Clerk Rejects Pay Raise

Monrovia City Clerk Phyllis McCarville said she has turned down an annual pay raise, because it led to rumors at City Hall.

On Oct. 1, the City Council approved 3% and 3.5% salary hikes for appointed and elected employees. But the city clerk’s raise was mistakenly printed in the resolution as 4.5%, said Paul Harmon, director of finance.

Two days later, an article in the Monrovia News-Post erroneously reported that McCarville got a 6.2% pay increase, which brought questions from some city employees, the city clerk said.

“It was a mess all the way around,” she said. “I said forget it, rather than let people think I’m bilking the city out of money.”

Because of the city’s tight budget and the controversy, McCarville said she sent a letter to the council rejecting the raise. She requested that the $145 monthly pay increase be given to the Monrovia Volunteer Center.

The council will vote on her request Thursday, Harmon said.