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GREENSBORO — After a short closed-door discussion, the City Council announced the city manager will keep his job — but without a pay raise.

City Manager Mitchell Johnson has faced criticism from council members throughout the year, including several attempts to remove or demote him. But Tuesday night, a majority of the council decided he will stay on at his current $179,000 salary.

In other action, the council approved a new energy-saving program for the city and agreed to tape record their closed-door debates.

Council members met for only 15 minutes to conduct the manager’s annual evaluation, where his nine bosses decide whether he gets a raise.

Mayor Yvonne Johnson said she will meet with the city manager in the coming week to discuss the issues that the council members raised about his performance.

The council members did not go into details about the city manager’s job review, but Councilwoman Mary Rakestraw did ask the city attorney what the manager would be owed if he was dismissed.

The manager’s contract requires the city to pay him six months salary and benefits if he’s fired.

The City Council also approved a $6.1 million contract that will help the city buy new energy-efficient utility equipment.

The energy performance contract with Pepco Energy Services pays for itself with a guaranteed $484,000 in energy savings every year for the next 13 years.

“It’s a good project. It has lots of little parts to it,” said Joe Christie from Pepco.

The contract will pay for solar hot water systems at the Melvin Municipal Office Building and five fire stations, 9,000 new energy-efficient light fixtures, new air handlers for City Hall, and a chiller for The Depot and the Bardolph Building on Washington Street.

“A lot of this equipment has needed to be replaced for years, but we haven’t had the money to do it,” Mitchell Johnson said.

Making those utility upgrades will save Greensboro 25 percent of the energy it is using and 13 percent of all the water, Christie said.

The effort will reduce the city’s carbon footprint. It’s the environmental equivalent of planting 1,733 acres of trees, Christie said.

The contract also will include training for city staff and a Web site for the public. The upgrades will start being installed next year.

Also Tuesday night, council members voted 6 to 3 to record their closed sessions. Council members Mayor Yvonne Johnson, Goldie Wells and T. Dianne Belllamy-Small voted no.

Councilman Zack Matheny raised the issue. Earlier this fall, council members voted to release the minutes of some of their closed sessions but were concerned that the minutes were not detailed enough.

Mayor Johnson voted against it because she wanted to know what other municipalities did.

Some council members were concerned that taping the minutes would impede open debate among council members.

“There were times when closed session got real ugly,” Bellamy-Small said.

“If there were tapes and they were made available, they would be an embarrassment to some members of council.”

Other council members said taping the closed sessions may ensure they are more civil.

“Maybe we will get out of there because we will be on our best behavior,” Councilwoman Trudy Wade said. “We will be on point. We will be professional.”

Contact Amanda Lehmert at 373-7075 or amanda.lehmert @news-record.com