Rehoboth Beach’s new City Manager promises his salary will pay for itself

REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. – Rehoboth Beach’s new city manager Taylour Tedder promises that his high salary will pay for itself in a sit-down interview with WMDT News where we discussed his role and plans nearly a month into the job.

Tedder’s position comes with a whopping $250,000 base salary with another $750,000 in the form of a forgivable loan. It’s that high salary that has some residents in an uproar. That pay far surpasses the average salary of city managers in other nearby, much larger cities such as Baltimore, Philadelphia and even Wilmington.

“How do you plan on building trust with the people who are against the city because of your hiring and that high salary?” News Anchor Rob Petree asked Tedder.

“It’s going to be focusing on doing a wonderful job,” Tedder said emphatically. “We need to, not only focus on transparency, of everything that we’re doing here at the city, but also work on our communications, so making sure that we’re getting the word out about everything that we’re doing.”

Through leading with transparency, showing the community what he’s doing and highlighting his work, Tedder feels confidence in him will grow among residents. He says he plans to launch an online YouTube series titled “The Tedder Talks” where he will update residents on his work and provide a once-a-month look at things going on in the community.

“It’s going to come down to increased communication and making sure we’re communicating what we’re doing,” Tedder stressed.

Since Tedder assumed the role on May 15, and in the months leading up to him starting after his hiring was announced, residents made their voices heard with opposition to his high salary. We asked him what his plans are moving forward to make a difference in Rehoboth Beach.

“I’d really like to find a way to pay for myself,” Tedder stated. “So, every city that I’ve worked in, I’ve found ways to generate savings, so looking at contracts, looking at different software or things that we are using or not using, and looking for efficiencies to create those savings.”

Tedder tells us when he says he wants to ‘pay for himself’ with respect to his high salary, he means results.

“That’s my goal,” Tedder said. “I’d like to definitely carry that out and generate more savings and find a way to leave the city better than I found it.”

As part of his agreement with the city, Tedder would have to stay with Rehoboth for at least seven years for the $750,000 loan to be forgivable. He says he plans to stay longer than that and, that for him to do his best, he needs the community’s help.

“I want to listen and hear from residents and business owners, so my door is open,” Tedder said. “I’d love to meet as many people as possible and hear what their priorities and ideas are for the city, and that’ll help me moving forward.”