Carson City Convention and Visitors Bureau Board gives executive director $17,000 raise

The Carson City Convention and Visitors Bureau Board voted to give Executive Director Joel Dunn a $17,000 a year raise on Monday.

The vote was unanimous after the board reviewed a study of what comparable boards pay their directors and what the city pays its agency heads.

That sets Dunn’s salary at $110,000 annually and at the recommendation of chairman Jonathan Boulware, it will be retroactive to Dunn’s hire date of May 31.

Boulware said Dunn’s responsibilities are actually greater than most city department heads.

“He manages the entire budget and represents the entire city,” he said.

Before setting Dunn’s salary, the board voted to establish a salary range for the job from $106,000 to $170,000.

Boulware asked for the study in June saying the board had never examined the position and what it should be paid. He said that range is important because, if Dunn leaves the post, “we need to be in a position where we can go out and recruit talent.”

He said the study confirmed that Dunn is underpaid compared to visitors’ bureau directors in comparable cities.

“I agree with you it was underpaid in the past,” said board member Jesse Dahmai.

Boulware and member Karen Abowd said they would approve the change this year but that, in the future, the board needs a much more structured system to evaluate the director’s performance.

Abowd pointed out that the city establishes and prioritizes five top goals for its department heads.

“Pay for performance is the way to go,” she said.

Dunn also told the board that visitor’s bureau collections are up this year about $85,000 more than the amount budgeted. He said when all the numbers for the fiscal year are in, total revenues should be just about $1.6 million.