Former Pooler City Manager Robert Byrd to receive two years' severance pay

Former Pooler City Manager Robert Byrd will receive two years' severance pay, according to the mutual separation agreement he tendered on Dec. 4.

The agreement states that the City of Pooler will pay Byrd 24 months' salary at his rate of $120,000 per year over the course of the next two years in normal payroll processing. The end of his 21-year stint as city manager took effect Dec. 31.

Byrd's latest contract, which became effective in January 2014, states that the city manager may terminate his contract with the city 90 days prior to the date of his intended resignation and would not be entitled to any severance benefits except those that are already available to other city employees. The contract also states that it "shall not have a specific term", meaning it didn't have any specific end date.

In an amendment to his contract, it states that if the city manager were to be terminated without cause, he would receive two years' severance pay.

However, in the agreement signed by Mayor Rebecca Benton and councilmembers Stevie Wall and John Wilcher in early December, it also stated that the document supersedes any and all prior agreements or understandings related to the subject matter, including Byrd's original contract and any amendments made prior.

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Mutual separation agreements are agreements between employers and employees, that lay out the terms of an amicable separation. It is usually used when both parties agree it would be better for them to part ways, and an employee waives their right to bring legal or disciplinary action against their former employer.

Pooler is governed by a council-manager form of government, where the manager is appointed by council and works with them on policy creation and manages staff during implementation.

Byrd gave Pooler councilmembers this agreement during an executive session on Dec. 4, much to their surprise. Now, incoming mayor, Karen Williams, and the new council, which will be sworn in on Jan. 4, will need to grapple with conducting a search to find a new city manager, as they deal with new developments, more people and money coming to the area.

Destini Ambus is the general assignment reporter for Chatham County municipalities for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach her at dambus@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Former Pooler City Manager to receive two years of severance pay