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Council approves revised chief employment agreement with certification bump and three-month severance
Summary
After extended debate about compensation, probation and severance, the Vernonia City Council approved an employment contract for the police chief candidate that includes a 5% pay increase upon DPSST certification, a three-month severance clause, removal of comp-time payout language and a waived probationary period.
The Vernonia City Council approved a revised employment agreement for the police chief candidate during its May 4 meeting after deliberation over certification pay increases, severance and comp-time language. The motion, read into the record, set a 5% pay bump to occur after certification (with the possibility of revisiting the amount later) and increased severance to three months while removing comp-time payout and eliminating the probationary period for the incoming chief.
Police Sergeant Sean Carnahan, who participated in the discussion and proposed certain contract language changes, said he would accept a 5% increase so long as the council considered his proposed verbiage edits. "I would be willing to take 5% as long as council will consider the adjustments that I made in the contract," he said. Councilors debated alternatives including 7.5% and whether a three-month severance would trigger a 'me too' effect for other contracts. The motion was seconded and carried in open session; councilors directed staff to present the final amended contract and to document changes in meeting minutes.
