The new Whitesboro City Administrator will make 39% more than his predecessor, according to documents obtained from Whitesboro City Hall, and 68% more than longtime city administrator Michael Marter, according to Mayor Dave Blaylock.
According to the City Administrator Agreement approved at a Jan. 22 special city council meeting, and effective Feb. 1, newly named Whitesboro Administrator Phil Harris will receive an annual salary of $160,000 per year.
This is a $45,000 increase from his predecessor Julie Arrington who was salaried at $115,000 per year, according to her administrator agreement.
Mayor Blaylock said Marter, the administrator before Arrington, made a salary of near $95,000 per year.
Blaylock said the jump in pay when hiring Arrington came after a comprehensive study of administrator pay in similar size municipalities across the state.
Arrington’s employment was terminated by the council in October 2024 when aldermen expressed a lack of confidence in her ability to produce a workable city budget.
Harris was appointed interim city administrator shortly thereafter.
Council approved a “no new revenue” for this fiscal year after declining to raise the property tax rate.
Likewise, due to tight budget numbers, no city employees received annual pay raises in 2025 and overtime pay has been suspended for hourly city employees, according to multiple sources at city hall.
The new administrator agreement provides a $500 monthly vehicle allowance, three weeks of vacation per year, six-month’s severance pay and 12 months of paid healthcare coverage if terminated without cause.
The contract is good for four years. After that, the agreement reverts to a month-to-month basis.
Though the agreement received a unanimous vote of the City Council on Jan. 23, Blaylock did not sign the agreement.
It was signed by Mayor Pro-Tem Carla Woolsey.
Arrington was awarded $58,999.98 in severance pay on Dec. 5, according to city documents.
Of that, just a bit more than $26,000 covered taxes and retirement.
The city also paid a total of $13,320.99 for five-month continuation of Arrington’s city paid health insurance.
Prior to his role as Whitesboro City Administrator, Harris was a superintendent at Advantage Construction, LLC and has several years of experience as a risk and cyber security leader.
