Olathe City Manager Wilkes gets raise

Olathe city councilmembers thought well enough of City Manager Michael Wilkes’ performance last year to give him a raise.

Wilkes, who runs the daily operations of the city, was given a 5 percent raise after a review of his performance.

Councilmember Jim Randall, who spoke on behalf of the council Tuesday after executive session, said that Wilkes had been an excellent leader, and that they expect that to continue through difficult financial times and a challenging budget year.

Randall also cited Wilkes’ leadership when describing how the city has produced the highest resident satisfaction of any city in the Kansas City metropolitan area in its annual DirectionFinder survey.

“I’m humbled by their confidence in me, and I’m honored to be able to serve in this community and serve with this council,” Wilkes said Friday.

Wilkes said his inspiration comes from working as a member of a team to make Olathe a better place to live, not only for his family, but the entire community.

He said one of the things he’s most proud of was being a part of the creation of a partnership with Kansas State University and the Kansas Bioscience Authority.

“The long-term implications of that deal are of incredible value to our community,” Wilkes said of the economic development and education opportunities the K-State bioscience park would provide.

Wilkes was hired in 1999. For the previous six years, he was city administrator of Alpharetta, Ga., an Atlanta suburb. Before that, Wilkes worked for Gwinnett County, Ga., for seven years, the last two as assistant county manager.

The raised bumped Wilkes’ annual salary from $159,000 to $167,000. He also was awarded a $10,000 bonus.

He’s still not the highest-paid city manager in the area. That distinction belongs to Overland Park City Manager John Nachbar, who earns $196,725 annually. Lenexa City Administrator Eric Wade makes $153,931 a year, and Shawnee City Manager Carol Gonzales receives an annual total compensation package of $156,800.