Commissioners discuss county manager contract changes: vehicle, Medicare costs and potential amendment

County Manager Terry Atchley placed his original signed employment contract before the board and requested the commission review areas he and the board previously negotiated: vehicle for county business, health-insurance treatment now that he is Medicare-eligible, PTO and severance terms.

Commissioners discussed trade-offs: several said keeping the county vehicle for take-home use was appropriate under the existing contract language, while others asked whether the county should provide a small allowance or an extra week of PTO in light of Atchley’s decision to enroll in Medicare and cover premiums out of pocket since Jan. 1. Atchley said his Medicare-supplement and Part D cost is about $585 per month and proposed either a small insurance stipend or an additional week of vacation as a reasonable accommodation.

The board directed the county attorney to draft amendment language that could specify an insurance contribution “up to” a stated amount and to return draft language at a future meeting. Several commissioners also suggested improving clarity on vehicle-use terms and on severance norms; one commissioner proposed increasing severance to align with manager-level norms, a suggestion that will be part of future negotiations. The county manager said he would discuss possible contract revisions with counsel before the next meeting.

"I've been paying for Medicare and supplement coverage since January; I would ask the board to consider covering that cost going forward," Atchley said. Commissioners agreed to have the attorney propose precise amendment language for consideration at the next regular meeting.