Pomona City Manager Anita D. Scott is set to receive a 15% salary raise approved by the Pomona City Council earlier this month.

Scott took over the role in November 2023 after serving as the acting city manager following the departure of former City Manager James Makshanoff, who served for four years.

Makshanoff’s departure also came with a $600,000 severance payout.

Three months after being named acting city manager, the council appointed Scott as the official city manager and set her annual salary at $295,000, according to the city.

“I really feel empowered to say she’s doing an amazing job, plus her intelligence and decision-making skills,” 1st District Councilmember Debra Martin said at the council’s April 21 meeting. “I feel like she’s really going to take us in a good direction in the future.”

Scott’s new salary, approved by the council on April 21, will be $339,250, effective last Friday, according to a staff report. According to the city, Scott’s new salary makes Pomona more competitive with neighboring cities such as Ontario and Corona, where the city managers were paid considerably more.

The 15% pay increase for Scott follows a 5% increase she was contracted to receive in a February 2024 agreement.

Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval praised Scott, her “leadership and attentiveness” as city manager. Scott received her doctorate in organizational change and leadership from USC in 2024.

“It is a real honor to work with you, Dr. Scott, and in the short amount of time you have had to address a tremendous amount of challenges that we face before the city, and they are still ongoing, but we are working through them,” Sandoval said during the meeting. “I think I speak for the council when I say you have earned your (pay) increase for the work you have done over the past year.”