Cobb County manager gets another three-year contract
Clearly divided in their positions on Tuesday night, Cobb commissioners voted 3-2 to approve a three-year contract renewal for county manager David Hankerson.
Yet Tuesday’s vote occurred with little fanfare compared to the months of sometimes contentious debate, among commissioners and in the community, surrounding the contract's renewal, the terms included and Hankerson’s performance.
Commissioners Bob Ott and Woody Thompson voted against the contract renewal because of the three-year term. Ott said obligating the county to three years was not prudent in the current economic times; Thompson felt the term should have been restricted to one year to allow future commissions to make the decision. Three of the five commissioners are up for re-election before the approved contract expires in 2014.
Hankerson, who has been county manager since 1993, has been criticized recently for several problematic county actions taken during his tenure. They included spending $78,000 on the purchase and upkeep of two mules for an undeveloped historic farm, and diverting money paid by residents for maintaining streetlights to the county’s general fund. County leaders have since taken steps to rectify some of the actions, including selling the mules and devising new policies for the streetlight districts.
Under the terms of his new employment plant, Hankerson’s salary -- $273,000 plus benefits -- would be frozen, with the exception of any merit increases available to other county employees. The contract eliminates an automatic renewal clause in Hankerson’s previous contracts, but does allow for 120 days of severance pay if the county manager is fired without a 90-day notice.
Hankerson's current contract expires Jan. 31.
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