Tacoma has a new city manager. His pay will be more than that of WA’s governor

Tacoma’s new city manager will earn an annual salary of $358,363.20 per year.

The Tacoma City Council on March 31 approved Hyun Kim’s contract as Tacoma’s permanent city manager, the final step in a months-long search process to find a candidate for one of the highest-paid and most influential roles at the city. The pay rate reflects a roughly $50,000 raise compared to the $309,566 his predecessor Elizabeth Pauli earned, and the salary he earned as interim city manager.

It stops short of the maximum amount Kim could have earned, which according to the job posting for his role ranged from $309,566 to $376,500. Kim’s salary ranks similar to that of other local leaders like Tacoma Public Schools Superintendent Josh Garcia, who earned $403,217 in the 2024-2025 school year. In comparison, Gov. Bob Ferguson earns $218,744 with an approved raise to $234,275 in July, according to the Washington Citizens’ Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials.

Kim comes to the role after having served as Tacoma’s interim city manager for almost a year. He previously served as deputy city manager for internal services at the city of Tacoma and city manager for the city of Fife. Kim will serve as the city’s chief executive officer, a crucial role in Tacoma’s council-manager form of government.

As city manager, he will be responsible for administering the policies and vision that Tacoma’s elected City Council agrees upon. He’ll manage the day-to-day operations for a city with a $4.7 billion biennial budget and more than 4,000 employees, according to the city.

“I know this is a privilege to be here representing our employees,” Kim told the City Council at its March 31 meeting. “I look forward to earning it every day with this council and this community.”

Council members said they are looking forward to working with Kim after finalizing his selection.

“I am really excited to get the ball rolling on this, finalize this contract and continue our work together,” Mayor Anders Ibsen said.

Isha Trivedi

The News Tribune

Isha Trivedi covers Tacoma city hall, Pierce County government and education for The News Tribune. She has previously worked at The Mercury News, the Palo Alto Weekly, the Chronicle of Higher Education and the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. She grew up in San Jose, California and graduated with a bachelor of arts in journalism and anthropology from the George Washington University. She is a proud alumna of The GW Hatchet, her alma mater’s independent student newspaper, and has been recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists for her work with the publication.