The Gager Raise—In Context
The Livingston City Commission, during a regular meeting scheduled for Tuesday, February 18, unanimously voted to increase City Manager Grant Gager’s salary from $160,000 to $180,000 (a 12.5 percent increase) supplemented with an additional $15,000 in November. The controversial decision was defended by all five members of the commission though several community members voiced frustration prior to and during the meeting.
Gager, who was appointed to his position by the commission in November 2022, had not yet received a salary increase during his nearly three-year tenure as City Manager, a prosperous era in the Livingston community, relatively speaking, and contingent on who you ask.
In an article published February 14th, Sean Batura of the Livingston Enterprise initially reported that Gager was anticipated to receive a sizable raise pending approval by the City Commission, an arrangement vaguely labeled Agreement 20156 on the agenda at Tuesdays meeting.
The article then surfaced on social media, drawing a wave of criticism reflected online and during public commentary at the poorly attended meeting (presumably due to weather conditions affecting city roadways, an irony exploited by at least one speaker who suggested taxpayer dollars instead be used for snow removal rather than to increase Gager’s salary)—exemplified in part by an alarming poverty rate at 15.1%, as reported by the US Census Bureau; a statistic amongst many not referenced by any one commissioner as the committee deliberated, though some members expressed empathy for their constituents and reluctance at granting Gager a seemingly excessive salary accentuating wage disparities in Park County.
Albeit marginally, the same data indicates Livingston’s poverty rate exceeds that of Kalispell (10.3%), Helena (9.1%), Missoula (12.8%), Billings (10.6%), Bozeman (14.8%), and Great Falls (14%). Except for Great Falls and Kalispell, the other communities listed either match or exceed the median household income in Livingston from 2019 to 2023.
Whitefish, in comparison, has a similar population (9,163 per the US Census Bureau) and economic landscape (tourism-led), yet with a poverty rate of 8.9 percent and median household income of $71,110— roughly $6,000 higher than for Livingston residents ($65,187; a figure that, noted by Commissioner James Willich, has risen substantially since 2020— though not necessarily nor directly attributable to policies developed and implemented by Gager, as the former seemed to imply with his statements—correlation and causality are only synonymous in light of regression data).
Among the aforementioned municipalities, only Butte, boasting a relatively high 3.4% unemployment rate (slightly surpassing Livingston at 3.2%), has a higher percentage of citizens living below the poverty line at 16.1%. Others like Great Falls, Billings, and Bozeman feature rates of 2.8%, 2.8% and 2.0%, respectively—townships with disproportionate population sizes to Livingston—a factor Commission Chair Quentin Schwarz deemed negligible when drawing comparisons between City Manager salaries throughout the state.
Though Gager clearly possesses a superb prowess for social engineering, each municipality represents a uniquely intricate and complex system with idiosyncratic tax bases from which city governments are differentially funded contingent upon the county’s distribution scheme—with nuanced implications translating directly to the varied responsibilities of a City Manager.
The most populous city in Montana, Billings, hosts 120,864 people, a median household income of $71,855 (per the 2023 Census) and a tax base of 305 million dollars. City Administrator Chris Kukulski earns a salary of $212,628, comprising 3.5% percent of the total dollar amount (60.35 million or 19.7%) distributed to city government by Yellowstone County. The city commission, in November 2024, voted to postpone an increase in Kukulski’s salary following his most recent performance evaluation, saying it would “send the wrong message to the public while discussions surrounding the city's water bills are ongoing,” according to KTVQ.
Furthermore, Willich reported that Bozeman Interim City Manager Chuck Winn and his assistant are earning a quarter million and two hundred thousand dollars, respectively—managing a city with tenfold the population (including the University) supported by a tax base valued at 325 million (15% of which is distributed to city governments, including Belgrade) according to the Montana Department of Revenue (compared to Park County’s 35-million-dollar tax base, 11.6% of which is distributed to City Government). According to an ABC affiliate, the eight-month severance package offered to former City Manager Jeff Mihelich following his resignation in February 2024, amounted to 171,824.64, equivalent to an annual salary of $257,736.
Greg Doyon of Great Falls, City Manager since 2008, now earns $197,747 (up from roughly $183,000 in 2022 and 161,500 in 2020) following a favorable performance review conducted by the city commission. Doyon manages a city department responsible for a declining population of over 60,000 people whose average household income approximates $63,934.
In February 2023, the Helena city commission selected City Manager Tim Burton, who had previously served in the position from 2000 to 2009 and is now paid $180,000 annually on a 3-year contract. Helena, the county seat for Lewis & Clark, has a population roughly four times larger than Livingston with an equivalent unemployment rate (3.2%). The city government receives 16.18 million dollars of the county’s 138-million-dollar tax base.
Other municipalities like Missoula (population 77,757) employ a Chief Administrative Officer (i.e., Dale Bickell) who serves the mayor performing duties resembling those of a city manager. According to govsalaries.com, the highest employee salary in Missoula during 2023 was at $163,534. Missoula County’s tax base reached $273 million dollars in the same year.
And still others, namely Butte, Red Lodge and Virginia City, are under either mayoral or Chief Executive jurisdictions—an observation considered by community members regarding Gager’s salary increase, a decision executed by the commission responsible for hiring him, who then addressed this fact at a surface level—that the city manager is not an elected official—in response to criticisms regarding the exorbitant raise given his role as a public sector employee.
As indicated by Commissioner Karrie Kahle during Tuesday’s meeting, the state constitution guarantees citizens’ rights to privacy, applicable to government officials and their annual performance reviews—information presumptively used to inform administrative decisions related to the compensation of civil servants, yet in this case willfully (and rightfully so, technically speaking) concealed from the public by Gager and the commission, the latter of which touted the former’s efforts to increase government transparency as one of many reasons for endorsing his salary increase—a figure computed by, according to both Kahle and Schwarz, a consulting agency contracted by the city.
The group of consultants conducted a collaborative performance review (in conjunction with the commission) and a compensation analysis, the results of which were used in tandem to determine and justify his salary increase.
Though the criteria used to evaluate Gager’s performance are unknown, Vice Chair Melissa Nootz praised the city manager for lowering taxes, increasing compensation for city employees on two occasions (with exceptions for some under union contract), balancing the city’s budget and improving organizational culture and morale. She said, “There are staff who have been working at the city for decades who talk about how nice it is to be personally recognized by the city manager,” also disparaging inflammatory comments hurled by disgruntled citizens, labeling them dehumanizing and pleading for sympathy on Gager’s behalf.
She also claimed that Gager’s mediatory involvement in lawsuits filed against the city prior to his tenure saved taxpayers 16 to 20 million dollars within the past six month alone, mentioning this accomplishment while also trivializing challenges faced by the city’s public works department to remove snow from roadways—“there are bigger problems [within this community] than snow on the streets,” Nootz opined. The issue of Gager’s salary increase as a “kickback” for saving city taxpayers money had been proposed during public commentary.
Other considerations for increasing Gager’s salary included inflation, something Commissioner Willich himself had personally researched. In his calculations, Gager’s $160,000 salary as of February 2025 amounts to roughly $127,000 in November 2019. Willich, like the other commissioners, emphasized paying Gager a competitive salary to retain his talents, expertise and experience—quoting salaries of $198,000 and $203,000 for the Whitefish and Belgrade city managers, respectively, in an effort to further contextualize Gager’s salary increase.
“Given the value that Mr. Gager provides the community, this pay [raise] is reasonable and commensurate,” said Commissioner Lyons, echoing Willich’s sentiment that the current City Manager has more to offer the community relative to the cost of his salary.
Chair Schwarz, speaking last amongst the commissioners, stated that his only regret was not paying Gager, who has met and exceeded expectations since being hired, more to begin with, saying, “Livingston is a community of diverse opinion. He [Gager] has done remarkably well in an impossible job and should be fairly compensated.”
During closing statements, Gager thanked the commission and expressed that, “it is a privilege and pleasure serving the Livingston community.”
Gager provided additional commentary in an exclusive interview with the Journal just prior to publication, revealing that shortly following the discussion regarding his salary increase, an alleged member of the Livingston community posted threatening comments potentially referencing violent behavior recently aimed at United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, resulting in his untimely murder, and included the manager’s home address. The Park County Community Journal condemns senseless violence and instead encourages compassion and tolerance for others.