Yardley Borough Manager Paula Johnson will be seeing larger paychecks this year.
Borough Council voted 6-0 at its Jan. 17 meeting to grant Johnson — borough manager since 2018 — a 3 percent salary increase for 2023. It hikes her annual pay by $2,514, from $83,822 up to $86,336.
Johnson’s latest two-year contract approved last year calls for an annual raise between 3 percent and 5 percent provided she performs her duties to a satisfactory level. In going over highlights of the manager’s 2022 performance review, Council President Caroline Thompson said Johnson had shown strides in areas like budget transparency, office file keeping, grant writing and others.
While the solid consensus was that Johnson is doing a good job, resident Dawn Perlmutter — a frequent critic of borough government — had some complaints over Johnson’s adherence to provisions of the Right-to-Know Law and Sunshine Act.
Johnson did not respond to Perlmutter’s criticisms during the meeting, but council members and residents were quick to jump to her defense.
“I have a hard time listening to these complaints,” one resident said. “I find Paula to be very accessible and helpful.”
Former council member Uri Feiner, who later in the meeting was appointed to fill a vacancy on the governing body, said he felt there was a “day and night difference” between Johnson and the manager who preceded her.
“She knows everybody in Yardley; she knows how the whole town operates,” Feiner said.
Thompson said the manager works tirelessly to improve things in the borough.
“No one is perfect but every year, Paula has made leaps and strides in her performance as manager,” Thompson noted. “She has risen to the occasion. We are so proud of her growth.”
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