Watertown Council Unanimously Extends City Manager's Contract Through 2031

WATERTOWN — June 23, 2026 — Watertown City Council extends City Manager George Proekas's contract four years and sets his pay at $255,668. The nine-member council voted 9-0 Tuesday on both the contract extension, which runs through 2031 with an automatic fifth-year trigger, and a salary ordinance reflecting a combined 4.5 percent increase — a 2.5 percent cost-of-living adjustment and a 2 percent merit bonus consistent with union agreements. Council President Mark Sedaris, who said he consulted municipal management consultant Bernie Lynch before the vote, called Proekas "an above-average manager" and noted "they're few and far between, and they don't stay." The council also approved seven unanimous end-of-year fund transfers: $246,000 for three electric police cruisers for the traffic division, $445,000 for a DPW solar array totaling approximately $1.2 million, $70,000 for a second senior shuttle bus quoted at $141,563, $373,000 to cover Parker Building renovation overruns including $85,000 in newly discovered asbestos abatement, $500,000 in unspent fire salaries toward a replacement fire engine, $12,400 for an independent actuarial review of pension and OPEB valuations, and $5.4 million in required OPEB trust fund authorization. A proposed 4.5 percent water and sewer rate increase and a $750,000 fire engine loan order received first readings and go to public hearing at the July meeting, where Proekas also warned of steeper rate pressures in fiscal years 2028 through 2031 driven by declining water usage against rising capital costs.