New city manager to earn $235K a year

Glendale’s new city manager, Scott Ochoa, will be making nearly as much as his predecessor — $235,600 plus benefits — according to an agreement approved by the Glendale City Council Tuesday night.

Ochoa, who currently is Monrovia’s city manager, will be replacing Jim Starbird, who makes roughly $240,000 a year, in January.

The agreement approved on Tuesday is an upgrade for Ochoa, who makes $180,000 plus benefits in Monrovia — a city less than one-fifth the size of Glendale.

The City Council announced Ochoa’s appointment earlier this month. At first, city officials expected to promote an internal candidate, but calls from community members to widen the search led the city to hire a consultant to recruit outside applicants with city manager experience. Five of nearly 25 applicants were interviewed for the job. Two were current department executives at Glendale City Hall.

As part of Ochoa’s contract, the city will pay up to $5,000 for moving expenses. Ochoa has said he doesn’t know when he will move, since the slow housing market makes selling difficult. He also said he plans to keep his two children at their current private school for now.

In addition to Ochoa’s salary, he will also receive medical, retirement, auto and other benefits given to city executives.

Ochoa will be eligible for a raise annually after a performance evaluation at the discretion of the City Council, according to the contract.