The Habersham County Board of Commissioners will consider approval of the county manager’s new contract during the board’s regular monthly meeting tonight.
In July 2021, the commissioners hired Alicia Vaughn as interim county manager. They hired her full-time in January of last year.
Vaughn’s current contract has been the subject of scrutiny due to the significant salary and benefit increase she received over her predecessor, who held the job for seven years.
According to information Now Habersham obtained through an open records request, at the time of his departure, former Habersham County Manager Phil Sutton’s base salary was $130,147.65 at the time of his departure. He also received a $1,200 yearly cell phone allowance.
Sutton was part of the Senior Management Retirement program where 10% was paid into his retirement account by the county. He also received a county car to use for his County Manager duties.
Vaughn succeeded Sutton in the job. Commissioners hired her full-time with a starting base salary of $165,000 per year. The commissioners also approved an $18,000 annual housing allowance, paid out in monthly installments at $1,500 per month.
In addition, the county provides “for her exclusive use a county-owned vehicle…for professional and personal use.” The county provides “all gas, repairs, maintenance, and insurance” on the vehicle. The contract gives Vaughn a say in what type of vehicle she uses, and the commissioners agreed to replace it “every 4 years or 60,000 miles, whichever is sooner.”
Like Sutton, Vaughn receives a $1,200 yearly cell phone allowance.
According to the terms of her existing contract, which may be viewed here, Vaughn was immediately allowed to participate in the Deferred Compensation Contribution plan to which the county contributes “15% of her base salary, housing allowance, and vehicle allowance without a mandatory Employee contribution.”
Since her contract took effect, Vaughn’s base salary has increased by 3%, which Habersham County Chairman Bruce Palmer calls a cost of living adjustment.
Meeting
Now Habersham requested a copy of the terms of the contract to be voted on this evening. The county provided only a copy of the existing contract.
The Habersham County commission meeting is open to the public. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Habersham County Courthouse on Llewellyn Street in Clarkesville.
A livestream of the meeting may be viewed by clicking here.
