County manager Alicia Vaughn resigns
On Friday, April 9, the Catoosa County commissioners accepted the resignation from Alicia Vaughn as county manager.
“The board is not at liberty to further discuss this matter, or any personnel matter, beyond the statements made and action taken in today’s public meeting of the board,” the county said in a news release.
“We thank Mrs. Vaughn for her service to the county and wish her all the best in her future endeavors,” the statement said.
County Attorney Chad Young, during Friday’s commissioners’ meeting, told commissioners that Vaughn on Monday, April 5, told some employees she was resigning. Young said she did not present a written or prior notice, turned in her keys and left.
Vaughn became county manager in September 2018.
Prior to that she worked as chief financial officer (CFO) for Whitfield County for six years, had a degree in accounting from the University of Georgia, as well as a wealth of finance experience in government.
Vaughn succeeded Jim Walker, who abruptly resigned in February 2018. He was paid a $54,000 settlement.
Vaughn, when hired, had a severance stipulation in her contract with Catoosa County, as explained to commissioners by County Attorney Chad Young in September 2018 when the county hired Vaughn.
“She (Vaughn) has requested a severance provision only if she’s terminated without cause,” Young told commissioners when they hired Vaughn. “If she does nothing wrong and she comes to work one day and three commissioners decide we don’t want you to be county manager anymore — under those circumstances, yes, she would be entitled to six months severance pay. If she’s terminated for cause, which for cause is, she violates any provision of our personnel policy, violates any provision of the law, fails to do her job or is unable to do her job because of an illness or disability ... any of those things are for cause and she can be terminated without any severance. If she resigns, she’s got to give you 30- days notice and she’s not entitled to any severance.”
Young said Vaughn requested the severance stipulation because she gave up a significant retirement package from her previous employer, Whitfield County, to take the job and would not be eligible for retirement during her first year employed.
“She requested a six-month severance ‘if you send me home without cause’,” Young said.
Young explained that the only real difference in Catoosa’s contract and the previous one with Walker was that Vaughn won’t have a “take home” vehicle allowance.
“There is no vehicle allowance in this one,” Young said. “She’s able to use a county car while she’s here for county business, but not to drive back and forth to home.”