The Archuleta County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) unanimously approved the employment agreement with its new county manager, Jack Harper, on Tuesday, Aug. 20.
Harper was initially selected as the interim county manager on May 14 and selected again as county manager on Aug. 6.
During the Aug. 20 meeting, Commissioner Ronnie Maez asked if county attorney Todd Weaver had “vetted” the employment agreement.
Weaver indicated that he had, and that he had to update the format and rewrite most of the agreement, noting the previous document to be old and outdated.
According to the employment agreement, Harper will receive an annual salary of $150,000, and is entitled to a severance package if he is terminated without cause.
“In the event the Employee’s employment is terminated without cause, the Employee shall be entitled to severance benefits - If Employee’s employment is terminated without cause by Employer, then Employer shall provide a severance payment equal to six (6) month’s salary at the current rate of pay, paid in a lump sum, unless otherwise agreed to in writing by Employer and Employee.” the agreement states.
The agreement also indicates Harper’s term of employment to be set for three years.
The agreement also includes that Harper will receive paid time off (PTO) and flex-time leave.
During the meeting, Commissioner Warren Brown asked for clarification in regard to the additional 40 hours of flex-time leave, asking if that is in addition to the already-granted three weeks of paid vacation.
“Would that make up what a five-year employee would expect in their PTO?” Brown asked.
Weaver explained that the flex-time is granted to the executive employees, noting that he received the same flex-time when he first started working for the county in 2019.
“So, it’s consistent with past practices,” Weaver added.
Brown also asked for clarification in regard to the county manager’s review and evaluation period, asking if the commissioners will perform reviews along with a self-evaluation by Harper that would jointly be considered, which Weaver confirmed is the standard procedure.
Commissioner Veronica Medina offered some comparisons of Harper’s agreement to that of the previous county manager, Derek Woodman.
She noted that Woodman was receiving a $400 monthly vehicle stipend, which was not included in Harper’s contract.
Medina also stated that Woodman “was able to negotiate” that he was accruing vacation time as a county employee with six to 10 years of service with the county, which equated to 15 days of vacation time per year.
“Just a couple of differences of what was negotiated,” Medina added. “This county manager definitely has more qualifications and more experience in this field.”
Medina also explained that Harper was eligible to receive up to $5,000 for relocation expenses, with certain requirements on what was able to be reimbursed.
Maez also noted the county manager prior to Woodman was paid $120,000 per year and had more than 20 years of experience, and Woodman was paid $128,000 per year with no experience in a county manager position.
Maez motioned to approve the agreement, with Brown seconding the motion.
Before Brown seconded the motion he stated, “This is where we are; we need to move forward.”
clayton@pagosasun.com
