COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – Recent raises for a couple of Coldwater’s top city officials brings them in line to those in communities of similar size.
The Coldwater City Council this week unanimously approved 4% pay raises for City Manager Keith Baker and City Attorney Amanda O’Boyle for the 2026–2027 fiscal year, bringing their respective annual salaries to $156,395.
The pay increase followed, closed session for employee evaluations at Monday’s council meeting.
Officials emphasized that the pay increases are essential for keeping the cities executive compensation competitive with those communities comparable to Coldwater.
Public financial records confirm that Coldwater’s newly adjusted salaries align closely with compensation rates in nearby communities, Marshall’s city manager was paid $141,001 as far back as 2023.
Meanwhile, the part-time city manager in Hillsdale earns a base of $90,360, but pulls in a total combined salary of $225,902 by simultaneously handling utilities director duties.
Council member Jeff Budd said during the meeting that while the council has outlined preliminary raises of 3.5% for 2027 and 3% for 2028, those future payouts remain strictly contingent upon upcoming annual performance reviews.
Brent, thank you for standing up and saying exactly what the rest of us are thinking! I noticed the exact same shady tactics you pointed out, and it is a complete insult to our intelligence.I just looked at the official July 13th agenda sheet, and it completely proves your point. Item #18 only lists a private personnel evaluation for Keith Baker. There is absolutely no mention of a salary vote on the agenda, and City Attorney Amanda O’Boyle’s funds or evaluation are completely missing from the document! They hid the entire financial action from the public paperwork.The council completely violated the spirit—and the text—of the Michigan Open Meetings Act. While they can evaluate a person privately, all financial deliberations, salary calculations, and budget votes must happen in the open public session. Ignoring a direct public question about the rumor, forcing a 30-minute broadcast blackout until everyone thought the meeting was over and went home, and then stepping into an empty room to pass unlisted raises in a 2-minute window is a massive breach of public trust.Don’t let them trick you with that defensive article they just put out, either. Their comparison to other towns is total garbage. Comparing Keith Baker’s full-time salary to a part-time manager in Hillsdale who has to work TWO completely different full-time jobs to make his money is completely dishonest. On top of that, Baker is pulling in $55,000 more than the state average! They have thousands of taxpayer dollars to hand out as unlisted executive bonuses, but claim they ‘don’t have the money’ to print paper notification letters for our elderly and disabled neighbors when their roads are torn up.Keep pushing for that 200-foot mail notification rule and don’t back down on handing this over to the Branch County Prosecutor. This agenda sheet is the smoking gun. The community has your back!
It’s actually a little higher and I like how they can get pay raises while everyone else is struggling. They let people go in other areas but give raises to the highest people. We didn’t get a voice and everything is behind closed doors