Tacoma city manager takes 17 percent raise

TACOMA — Tacoma City Manager Eric Anderson is taking a 17 percent pay raise that will boost his annual salary to $235,373.

The News Tribune reported Anderson declined to take a raise last year because of a recession, and a wage freeze is proposed for city employees next year. This year’s raise is triggered by a national study that shows the economy is improving.

The 64-year-old Anderson is a former city manager of Des Moines, Iowa, who became Tacoma’s top administrator in 2005. He’s not the highest-paid city employee. That’s Public Utilities Director Bill Gaines, who earned $290,262 last year.