CITY MANAGER'S CONTRACT REVIEWED.

Byline: Charles F. Bostwick Staff Writer

PALMDALE - City Council members are considering renewing City Manager Bob Toone's contract for two more years and boosting his salary to $160,550, approximating that of his counterparts in Palmdale's two neighboring cities.

The council is scheduled to discuss the proposed employment agreement Wednesday night in a closed-door session with Toone, whose performance and intentions were the subject of two closed-door council sessions over the last month.

``I don't sense there's an issue here,'' Mayor Jim Ledford said. ``I think Bob's done a good job.''

The two-year extension would take Toone to age 60, when he has said he would be ready to retire from the Palmdale job he has held since 1986, the mayor said. Toone has also offered to help groom a successor, the mayor said.

Toone's contract is due to expire Dec. 31. The council has until approximately Oct. 1 to decide if it wants to adopt a new contract, let the existing contract automatically renew itself or let it expire, City Attorney Matt Ditzhazy said.

The council last gave Toone a raise in October, when they upped his salary 2.5 percent to $142,913 a year. That raise was opposed by then-Councilwoman Shelley Sorsabal, who said she dissented because Toone's contract called for cost-of-living raises but did not spell out guidelines for merit raises.

Sorsabal resigned April 3. Of the three men now on the council only Ledford was on the council in October.

Councilman Rod Penner declined to comment on his view of the city manager's performance before the meeting, saying he considers it a confidential personnel matter.

Others agreed that Toone has served his position well.

``I think he's done a pretty good job,'' Councilman Mike Dispenza said of Toone.

If the council passes the proposed raise, Toone's salary would remain lower than Lancaster City Manager Jim Gilley's $169,000 a year, but would equal Santa Clarita City Manager George Caraballo's $160,500.

Besides giving him a raise and extending his contract until Dec. 31, 2002, the agreement would allow Toone to take a payment in cash - either in a lump sum or every two weeks - for his vacation, administrative leave and holiday time.

Before coming to Palmdale, Toone served as the assistant city manager for La Mesa for 10 years. Before that he was village manager for Richton Park, Ill., where he helped reorganize the municipal government into the council-manager form.