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Transit chief says he'll cede bonus but wants raise

Staff file photo (2007)

David Armijo oversees a regional transportation agency with a roughly $54 million operating budget.

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By CHRISTIAN M. WADE

cwade@tampatrib.com

Published: November 5, 2009

Updated: 11/05/2009 10:43 am

TAMPA - Citing a weak economy, Hillsborough County's transit chief executive David Armijo says he is willing to forfeit his annual performance bonus in the coming year.

But he still wants a raise.

In memo to Hillsborough County's Regional Transit Authority board of directors, Armijo points out that the authority has exceeded performance expectations in the past year and praised HART employees for their labor and dedication to the transit system.

"Their hard work is paying dividends and is just the beginning of moving the authority to the next level, recognition as one of the industry's best transit systems," Armijo wrote.

Armijo offers to forego his performance bonus next year but asks that the board consider giving him a merit raise when they meet to discuss his annual performance evaluation.

His contract includes a provision allowing for a performance raise of up to 10 percent. Last year, he got a 5.9 percent bonus, or $10,302, in additional to his regular salary. He currently makes $174,700.

Board member and Tampa City Councilman John Dingfelder, who has discussed the issue with Armijo, said he is pleased with his performance but not enough to give him a raise.

"He's doing a good job, but I don't think we should be looking at bonuses or pay raises for any government employees right now," he said. "He's making a very good salary."

Still, more than 160 of HART's administrative employees are receiving 1.5 percent merit raises in fiscal 2010, under previously negotiated union contracts. Unionized bus and paratransit workers saw their wages increase beginning Oct. 1.

Armijo, 50, has spent most of his 25-year career at transit agencies, including six years in Dallas, where he helped plan a rail system. He took the helm of HART in 2007 and is credited with steering the authority through a minefield of budget cuts, juggling its routes to serve more riders and securing federal funding to expand the system.

He also has been criticized for a lack of communication with the Tampa City Council and has sparred with members of the city's streetcar agency over plans to extend trolley lines.

As HART's CEO, Armijo oversees a regional transportation agency with a roughly $54 million operating budget, upward of 200 buses and more than 700 employees

The authority's finance committee is expected to discuss Armijo's performance at a Nov. 18 meeting and make recommendations to the full board.

Reporters Ted Jackovics and Mike Salinero contributed to this report.

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