JoCo manager’s ouster will cost taxpayers big time

The Johnson County Commission’s 4-3 vote to terminate the contract for County Manager Hannes Zacharias will cost taxpayers more than $100,000.

That’s because he’s entitled to a separation payment equivalent to six months of his $219,665 annual salary for non-renewal of his employment contract.

Plus, the commission approved a motion Thursday to pay Zacharias up to $1,500 per month for up to 18 months, or until he finds a new full-time job. Commission Chairman Ed Eilert said that payment would cover Zacharias’ health care costs after his county employment ends Dec. 31.

The commission narrowly voted Nov. 30 not to renew the annual contract for Zacharias, 63, who has been county manager since 2009. Many employees and residents have complained bitterly about that decision, saying they considered Zacharias to be a highly skilled manager for a well-run county with a great quality of life.

Those voting to terminate the contract were Commissioners Michael Ashcraft, Mike Brown, Steve Klika and Jason Osterhaus. Those voting to retain Zacharias were Eilert and commissioners Jim Allen and Ron Shaffer.

The four commissioners who voted in the majority each said they thought Zacharias was a good man, but they thought the county needed new leadership and a new direction after more than eight years with the current manager.

The commissioners have named Deputy County Manager Penny Postoak Ferguson as interim county manager. They approved a motion Thursday to increase her salary from $193,752 to $219,520 while she serves in that interim position, beginning Jan. 1. She’ll also get a $600 per month car allowance and a retention incentive of $500 per month, subject to review every two months.

Eilert said the commission will begin discussions in earnest at its first meeting next year, Jan. 4, about a national search for Zacharias’ replacement. He said county searches in recent years for an internal auditor, a mental health director and a new library director have each taken about four to six months and have cost between $18,000 and $30,000.

Eilert did note that the search for a new manager may be complicated by the fact that four of the seven county commission seats, including the commission chairman position, are up for election in November 2018. So applicants will have to take into account that they could be working for a group of new commissioners beginning in 2019.

This story was originally published December 14, 2017 at 3:36 PM with the headline "JoCo manager’s ouster will cost taxpayers big time."