Middletown City Council is considering changes in how the city manager is compensated, and how much time off she will receive.

Council will vote Nov. 20 on a pay and benefits ordinance that will allow for the city manager to receive longevity pay after her fifth year with the city and increase her vacation days by five.

The proposed addition would pay City Manager Judy Gilleland on the anniversary of her fifth year, which would be this January, 3 percent of her $125,000 base salary.

“It recognizes the value of that position in terms of a leadership position in the city,” Mayor Larry Mulligan said.

The city provides longevity pay as a bonus of sorts for an employee who works a decade or more for the city. An employee who works 10 to 14 years can annually receive 1 percent of his or her base pay. It increases to 2 percent once they achieve 15 to 19 years of service. It maxes out at 3 percent annually for anyone with 20 years of full-time service to the city.

“It’s common in the public sector,” said Middletown Law Director Les Landen.

Longevity pay, while an accepted practice, is something some Ohio communities and others in nearby states have either discussed or voted to reduce or eliminate.

Some on council don’t see a problem with giving the city manager some perks in light of her work, which includes bringing Cincinnati State Middletown to downtown. Councilwoman Ann Mort also noted Gilleland’s idea to fill empty space in City Hall by inviting Middletown City Schools to move its administrative offices to One Donham Plaza — though that plan has yet to be proved by either party.

“You can see her tracks around town,” Mort said. “She keeps pushing things along from a lot of different sides.”

Vice Mayor Dan Picard said Gilleland has made a commitment to the city.

“She’s worked very hard and the proof is in the pudding,” Picard said. “Just look around downtown.”

Councilman Joe Mulligan said compensation for municipal employees is never a popular topic. But while this is a perk for Gilleland, who, like other city employees, has forgone pay increases in recent years, Mulligan said it sets up the city for the future.

“If we artificially depress our pay scale for our city manager and other department heads, it could be difficult in the future to attract talent to replace them,” he said.

Mayor Mulligan said it’s difficult these days to give raises, so council tries to look for ways to provide various perks for employees when, and where, they can.

Council approved recent collective bargaining agreements for the city’s two police officer unions that provided a $600 signing bonus for each. That is similar to what the council did for its transit union.

In the pay and benefits ordinance, there is also a proposal that would allow full-time employees to receive pay for up to 40 hours of accrued vacation time annually. Employees would be able to cash the time in early as opposed to later in their careers when it can cost the city more money.

In addition to longevity pay, the city manager will be eligible for 27 days of vacation per year, five more days than what the city currently allows.