Mount Pleasant commissioners debate proposed changes to city manager contract, severance and salary
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Summary
Commissioners discussed proposed contract changes for City Manager Aaron Descentz including an increased severance provision (draft language moved severance from 6 months toward 24 months in the submitted draft), possible salary adjustments and clearer definitions of 'cause.' Commissioners expressed a range of views and asked staff and counsel to redraft options.
The Mount Pleasant City Commission spent significant time in January discussing proposed revisions to City Manager Aaron Descentz' employment agreement, focusing on salary, severance and definitions of termination "for cause." City Attorney Mike Holmier and Manager Descentz were present to answer procedural and legal questions.
Commissioners summarized the proposed draft language and debated the scale of severance. Under the existing contract, termination without cause carried roughly a six-month severance package; the draft contract presented for discussion contained language that would increase that to a 24-month severance in a termination-without-cause scenario following model contract language referenced by staff. Several commissioners said 24 months was excessive for the city; others said longer severance is common in politically volatile jurisdictions and argued for 12 to 18 months as a compromise. Multiple commissioners also discussed alternative approaches, including staged percentage increases to salary (a 4–7% range was flagged as an example) and tying severance ranges to industry benchmarks.
Commissioners also discussed education-benefit repayment language found in the city's personnel policy: the policy requires employees who leave the city within 12 months of course completion to refund education funds paid by the city, and commissioners requested clarity on how that provision would interact with any contract changes. The city attorney explained that the proposed contract language reflects, in part, language from the International City/County Management Association model and that purely legal questions could be reviewed in closed session if necessary, but compensation and terms themselves must be addressed in open session.
No contract amendment was approved at the meeting. The commission instructed staff to compile feedback and return redrafted contract options capturing a range of severance and pay adjustments for further consideration.