I support renewal and extension of the contract for City Manager Kathy Hodgson. She has provided a steady hand of leadership for the city throughout her tenure. As executive director for Alameda Connects and the ACBID I can attest to her work in cooperation with community partner organizations.

Lakewood is fortunate to have a highly respected city manager in Kathy Hodgson. She is an authentic leader who "gets things done!" Ms. Hodgson's job is to implement the policies of Lakewood City Council by leading a dedicated & responsive Lakewood management team. In addition, she has professionally represented the City in negotiations such as the recent Taylor Open Space Acquisition. Ms. Hodgson possesses an incredible skill-set. She has the passion, the empathy, the understanding, the courage and, yes, the sense of humor for the job! I can think of no finer individual than Kathy Hodgson to continue as our Lakewood City Manager. I urge Lakewood City Council to renew Lakewood City Manager Kathy Hodgson's contract. Thank you--

Leading a growing city through challenging times is no easy feat. I support this reasonable cost of living and performance-based salary adjustment for our hard-working city manager!

I have never interacted with the city manager, but in the almost 3 years that I have lived in Lakewood, the city staff has always been very cordial to me when I have made requests. I believe that my positive experience comes in part from the institutional culture implemented by Ms. Hodgson as city manager. At city council meetings, she always presents herself in a very organized manner. I believe good city managers are hard to find, so I ask you to retain Ms. Hodgson with the contract made in the resolution which seems fairly standard to me.

I strongly urge Council to approve and extend this contract. Ms. Hodgson is an asset to this city and epitomizes what leading by example truly means. Lakewood is a better place due to her leadership.

Kathy is a hardworking and committed employee of the city and to treat her otherwise flies in the face of all of that. I am in favor of renewing her contract.

Copied from the Resolution: "Commencing on April 1, 2023, and annually thereafter, the City Manager’s Base Salary shall automatically be adjusted to reflect the average increase for all City employees for the corresponding year. In addition, the Employee shall be eligible for a further 3% increase based on an overall performance rating of “Meets” or “Exceeds Expectations” during the Annual Review (outlined in section 6)..." I'm in favor of the Council adjusting to the City Manager's salary which also reflects the average increase for all City employees. The City Manager deserves this increase as do all city employees. This increase is in keeping with current state practices--COLA (cost of living adjustments) & salary increase based on performance ratings. During my working career I was paid by the state, & this was common practice.

Our city manager is doing an amazing job! I support this.

I'm writing in support of approving the renewal and incentive adjustments for City Manager Kathy Hodgson's contract. As I read the proposed contract, the adjustments are per standards already approved and in place for City of Lakewood employees, and appear to be within expected ranges for an Executive officer in her level of responsibility. Furthermore, she has performed well as to the job description and expectations. While some may not agree with some of her decisions, it appears to me she has done her best to be a reasonable and conscientious Manager of the City's affairs.

As a resident of Lakewood of more that 25 years, I have seen a great deal of growth in our city. Change is not always easy and can often be difficult. The many challenges can be daunting at times, that said I look forward to many more years in Lakewood. I believe Kathleen is an asset to Lakewood and hope that her contract is renewed.

Ms. Hodgson has a difficult job and has to make difficult decisions. As a longtime resident of Lakewood, I see her efforts. Ms. Hodgson brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to perform her job keeping in mind the best interests of the citizens of Lakewood. The City Council should consider this and continue to have Ms. Hodgson as City Manager of our great city. I am proud to say I live in Lakewood and it is in part due to the formidable leadership of individuals such as Ms. Hodgson who continue to do a difficult yet amazing job.

I am very grateful for the work provided by Ms Hodgson throughout her years of service for our city and strongly urge that her contract be extended as an exemplary city manager and she be unanimously thanked for her tireless efforts. Mike Fletcher 14199 W Amherst Ave Lakewood, Colorado

I believe that Kathy has done an excellent job caring for Lakewood residents and employees. I had the pleasure of being an employee of The City of Lakewood for five years and she continues to impress me. She is intelligent and caring- a great combination for our city!

Please consider the larger economic picture. Wages chasing inflation hurts the underlying economy and complicates the solution to a larger economic recovery (from which we would all benefit). An increase in wage continues year over year by compounding increases in future wage percentages. The manager just received a sizable bonus that I do hope she appreciates very much. In basic terms, if an employee is not happy and requires more and more to be retained especially during difficult economic times maybe that employee should move on and find a better match. It’s not as if our city manager is grossly underpaid at the present time. It is time hunker down and be a team player.

When the majority of Council members voted to give the City Manager a bonus this past August, they chose to dismiss the public comments that unanimously opposed this decision. Additionally, the voice of the people expressed in the city’s own survey (pg. 29, Figure 23) was ignored by a majority of our representatives. This study found that the approval ratings for the city’s performance had declined each year from a high of 67% in 2010 to 38% in 2022. These are all the years that Ms. Hodgson has held the position of City Manager. Why waste taxpayer dollars on surveys that are disregarded unless the results meet your expectations? Ms. Hodgson’s 13 years of experience on the job does not necessarily reflect the quality of her performance . At the Annual Planning Retreat last February, Council members set 6 priorities for the upcoming year. The City Manager reduced these to 3. In reflecting on the past year, how many of those goals reached fruition? Solutions not excuses are needed to move this city forward. Ms. Hodgson wields a great deal of power in her position as City Manager. How she uses this power is at times questionable. Recently a blight designation for a strip mall was fast-tracked onto the agenda. Although it was posted on Lakewoodspeaks, the weekly updates on Upcoming City Council Action didn’t mention it (this even held true in the last emailed edition that was received on the day the Council was addressing the item). Should the public have to search several sites to find out the accurate City Council agenda for the week? What happens when different sources provide conflicting information? Communication with the public often contains misinformation. Technical problems on various public input platforms occur on a regular basis. Transparency and accountability are in short supply. All these areas are part of effectively managing a city. Now Council is addressing Ms. Hodgson’s contract. She is already well-compensated without any additional incentives. You as city councilors represent the voices of your constituents. When the majority of council members ignore the findings of your own survey, it makes the community question that. Perhaps it is time for new leadership. If you are unwilling to pursue that change, at the very least stop rewarding job performance that falls far short of the bar of excellence.

Being a City Manager basically means you need to be a subject matter expert on all things pertaining to the city. This is a daunting feat is often unnoticed and underappreciated. Kathy has a well understanding of all topics and is and is always able to easily answer all of council's questions. She is of tremendous value to our city and I strongly urge council to renew her contract.

I respectfully request the city council to vote in favor of extending the employment agreement with Ms. Hodgson in the role of City Manager. Ms. Hodgson’s long tenure of fair minded and even-keeled leadership has served Lakewood well through times of change, and helped bring people together in moments of bitter political divides. Her institutional knowledge of Lakewood is especially important to keep on board in this moment, where we had a majority of City Council members turn over at the last election, where we face the certainty of more big changes on council in the upcoming elections as the mayor and number of senior councilmemebers will be termed out, and as city staff itself had faced retirements of a number of longtime key senior leaders such as former Public Works Director Jay Hutchison earlier this year and turnover in other key leadership positions in the last few years like the City Attorney, City Clerk, and Police Chief. As a former employee in the Public Works Department of a different municipal government organization, I saw first hand how institutional knowledge in senior leadership roles of a city’s history and the issues it faces is key to the smooth day-to-day operations of a governmental organization. Lakewood has been fortunate to have Ms. Hodgson and would be wise and even more fortunate to keep her around.

I'd just like to publicly commend City Manager Kathy Hodgson for doing a superlative job of organizing and representing the City of Lakewood. Ms. Hodgson manages to gracefully dodge the slings and arrows of an occasionally divisive City Council while handling the daily business of Lakewood with grace and aplomb. Her tactical acumen for navigating the nuances of city business is beyond reproach. The City Staff of Lakewood is a capable, talented team and we should all do our best to maintain these talented employees. Please do everything in your means to keep Ms. Hodgson with the City of Lakewood.

I agree with Nancy Steinheimer that this position and compensation should be evaluated. These amendments are very generous and not usual or typical. The City Manager’s salary is already high and a $10,000 bonus was just approved. What employer pays the full cost of an employee’s pension? A percentage, yes, but not 100%. The twenty days (4 weeks!) of Executive Leave are given, I’m assuming, in addition to other paid time off? (If it’s not in addition to vacation, sick and personal time off, it’s in line with typical plans and is still generous). If it’s in addition then it is over-the-top. Also, if not used, the employee is still compensated for them! Isn’t the City Manager’s core job to do exactly what these added days of “Executive Leave Time” are for, to “advance leadership succession & organizational development planning for the city”? What employer pays for accrued sick time when an employee leaves? Vacation time, yes, but not sick leave. What employer pays for Holidays and the annual (yes, annual) cost of health insurance for the employee and dependents for the year they leave? Most employees would have to sign up and pay a high amount for a COBRA plan to continue health insurance for the rest of the year that they resign or retire. Does the city also pay the full cost of health insurance now? Is there no employee contribution for their own health care? Do all Lakewood city employees receive these same and unusual benefits or is this only for the City Manager? I have these questions and concerns about this resolution and I hope the Council will consider them.

Councilman Olver, I believe we need a change in position of City Manager. The current City Manager, has been in the position far too long. The salary that she being paid, is out of line for city government. Lakewood needs a fresh perspective, for this position. Thank you, Nancey Steinheimer