Bamberg County Council renews Preston’s contract

Council voted to renew Preston’s contract with a one-year extension to run from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023. The one-year contract includes a base salary of $130,711.10.

The vote was taken following an executive session lasting a little more than an hour.

Voting in favor of the contract renewal were councilmen Larry Haynes, Dr. Jonathan Goodman II and Evert Comer Jr. Voting in opposition were council members Phil Myers, Clint Carter and Sharon Hammond.

Council Chairman Spencer Donaldson cast the tie-breaking vote and voted in favor of the Preston’s contract being extended another year, resulting in a 4-3 vote.

Following the meeting, Haynes said he was pleased with Preston’s performance.

“Bamberg was at the brink of just about to go belly up, bankrupt really. Since he’s been there, Bamberg has been moving forward. We’ve accomplished a lot of things. We just purchased patrol cars for the sheriff and were able to get road plows for the roads,” Haynes said.

He continued, “Little by little, we seem to be progressing. I felt like if a person is moving the county forward, you need to let that person keep continuing.

“We’re in the process of redoing the courthouse and everything. I felt like we needed to try to see that he stay and see the project through.”

Hammond later said that she was not satisfied with personnel and other issues.

“There’s some personnel issues that I’m not satisfied with that I think that we could work on and some fiscal situations that I’m concerned with. That’s what helped me make my decision,” she said.

Hammond’s hopeful the issues can be worked on.

She said there were some contractual issues that she was not pleased with, but was not specific.

“Things are done in order, and that’s another thing I have a problem with. Some council members get information and others don’t. I fall in that category of those that don’t. The chairperson doesn’t make all the decisions by themselves,” she said.

Hammond continued, “When things are not done outright and in order, when things are done behind your back and others come together to make something happen instead of the whole body coming together and a decision being made, I don’t like that divide and conquer mentality.”

Under the contract, the administrator must give written notice 120 days prior to the end of the contract that the contract will automatically renew on the next July 1.

If written notice of intent to terminate the contract is not given by either party at least 90 days prior to the end of the agreement, it will be extended another year.

Under the contract, the administrator is entitled to county benefits including, but not limited to: life insurance, pension accrual or payments, vacation pay, sick pay and employee salary increases as allowed for other county employees.

The county will reimburse the administrator for all budgeted expenses related to his cell phone and other “routine and miscellaneous business and travel expenses” incurred while acting as county administrator.

The council will review and evaluate the administrator’s performance no later than Feb. 1 of each year. In addition to any merit increases he may receive, the administrator will also receive cost-of-living increases, if any, which the council may grant – with or without the administrator’s recommendation – to its other employees.

The county may suspend the administrator will full pay and benefits at any time, but only if the majority of council votes to suspend him for “just cause,” which includes willful neglect of duty, conviction of any crime involving moral turpitude and violation of duties to the county.