The amount paid out to Habersham County Manager Alicia Vaughn will be higher than Now Habersham originally reported, according to information recently obtained from the county manager herself.
Vaughn said in an email to Now Habersham that she will receive just over $144,200 for her departure. That figure includes COBRA family insurance, vacation, and sick leave – information that was not previously made available to us in our reporting.
Though the terms of the amended contract remain the same, the defined calculations increase the severance package amount.
Vaughn, who is set to step down at the end of the year, will receive a total compensation package of approximately $144,220.72, not $122,385.08 as previously reported.
The break out is as follows:
Vaughn’s COBRA family insurance includes health insurance at $16,788.36, dental at $1,124.28 and vision at $96.06, totaling $18,008.70. Vacation and sick leave – both of which will still be accrued, or used, over the next three months – are included in her base salary and could change the total amount of the severance package by her last day of employment.
Previous contract
A copy of Vaughn’s amended employment contract, as well as her previous employment contract, was released by County Attorney Donnie Hunt last Friday.
Last year, no changes were made to the 2023 contract, which was renewed in January.
The 2023 contract had provisions for termination with cause, termination without cause, non-renewal, and resignation.
Termination with cause would only occur if laws or policies were broken during her employment. At which time, the county commission could terminate immediately with no provision for a severance package.
Termination without cause, on the other hand, would allow the commission to terminate the contract at any time for no reason since Georgia is an “at will” employment state. In that scenario, the commission terminated without cause. The contract provided, in this case, for a severance package to be paid within 30 days of the termination date.
For non-renewal, the commission could vote to not renew the contract but the commission would have to give the county manager a 90 day notice of its intent to renew the contract. That notice would have to be given no later than October. This would in effect be a termination without cause and obligate the county to pay a severance package.
The county manager had the option to resign with a written 60 day notice. Upon the county manager’s resignation, the county would not be obligated to pay a severance package. The county would only be obligated to pay for all accrued leave.
The terms for the severance package in the previous contract were a base package of three months aggregate salary, expenses, COBRA Insurance, and accrued leave. After her first year of employment, the severance package would increase one month per year of employment. It was capped at a total of six months. It did not include a provision for payment into the senior management retirement program.
Amended contract
The amended contract that went into effect on September 16 defined a specific ending date for the contract as December 27, 2024. The contract states that the employee agrees and submits her resignation effective December 27, 2024.
The county manager duties did not change with either contract – except the amended contract states that Vaughn may assist in the selection process and the hiring of the next county manager.
During the term of the amended agreement, the county manager may not accept employment or become employed by any other employer.
The amended contract provides that the county commission can suspend the county manager at any time. However, should the commission exercise that provision, the contract states that the county manager will receive full pay and benefits during the suspension period, along with the agreed upon severance package.
Hiring new manager
Habersham County Commission Chairman Ty Akins explained that since Vaughn’s resignation, the commission is looking at hiring a county manager on an interim basis. “That seems to be the consensus at this point,” he said.
However, the process for hiring a manager will not be quick. The county must first advertise the position before the hiring process proceeds. Akins anticipates at least 30 to 45 days before a potential candidate is considered.
Akins said he expects the salary for a new county manager to come from the county’s contingency fund.
