Riverside approves new contract for city manager

“We’re also thrilled about the team that he’s built around him in the last couple years. And I think that’s as exciting as his leadership,” Williams added.

The agreement calls for a $160,000 annual salary for Rauch, who will be required to stay a city resident while receiving monthly allowances of $600 combined for automobile and cell phone expenses.

The contract approved by Riverside City Council last week states that Rauch’s “term of employment shall be indefinite,” but “subject to the separation and termination clauses” in the agreement.

The deal is also “subject to renegotiation upon 60 days written notice of either” Rauch or the city council, the contract states.

“I’m grateful to the mayor and city council for their confidence in me, and I’m glad to continue serving my community,” Rauch said in an email. “I’m also tremendously thankful for all our staff who work tirelessly to provide services and move the organization forward each and every day.”

The agreement follows an evaluation by council that gave Rauch an overall score of 4.4 on a 5-point scale across nine categories, Riverside documents show.

All ratings ranged from 4.27 to 4.6 in the following areas: individual characteristics, professional skills and status, relationship with council, policy execution, reporting, citizen relations, staffing, fiscal management, and community, according to the evaluation.

Council members cited Rauch’s fiscal management and the city’s implementation of comprehensive land use and strategic plans during his tenure.

“In the short time he has been our city manager, I have seen tremendous growth in our city and an improvement in how people view Riverside,” Vice Mayor Jesse Maxfield said in the evaluation.

Before his hiring, Rauch spent seven years in community and economic development for municipalities in Kansas and Ohio, according to the city.

He is a Carroll High School graduate who earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Dayton and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Kansas.