Board amends county manager contract, swaps merit/ longevity raises for retention bonus schedule

Rowan County commissioners on July 21 approved changes to the county manager’s employment contract following a closed session that the board said addressed attorney consultation and personnel. The contract changes, as described publicly, remove future cost‑of‑living adjustments, longevity and merit increases and replace them with a retention bonus schedule tied to years of service. The board also described a base salary increase. Under the approved terms, the manager’s new base salary was described in the meeting as being adjusted upward (speakers referenced a move from $191,660 to approximately $202,705–$207,000 during discussion) and a retention bonus schedule beginning in 2025 that the board described as $11,000 for 11 years of service (about $1,000 per year) and increasing annually through 2029 when the bonus would be $15,000. The approved contract extension will run through July 22, 2030, according to the board’s summary. The board asked the HR director to confirm details and then voted; commissioners moved, seconded and recorded unanimous approval. The board discussed deleting moving expense reimbursement from section 2 of the contract because the manager had already moved into county residence. The record does not provide additional details about the manager’s name beyond references to the manager and to Erin earlier in the meeting; the board instructed staff to finalize contract language and proceed with administrative steps.