By Jesse Wood
July 7, 2014. After going into and returning from closed session at its June 17 meeting, the Watauga County Board of Commissioners approved a five-year contract extension for County Manager Deron Geouque.
Geouque will serve as county manager from July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2019. His annual pay will be $111,427, according to the contract that can be viewed here.
Monica Harrison, human resources coordinator for the county, wrote in an email that this is an increase of 2 percent above his previous salary. Harrison said the increase reflects a 2 percent cost of living adjustment that all county employees received for this year’s fiscal year.
Geouque is the latest government manager to receive a new contract. At the beginning of this year, Boone Town Manager Greg Young agreed to stay on for an extra year while the Boone Town Council searches for new town manager. He had previously intended to retire at the end of 2013.
Young’s salary during his last year on the job will be $160,000, which is substantially higher than his previous salary of $124,987, which also included benefits. The Boone Town Council is currently looking at candidates and is expected to announce its new town manager in August or September, according to Mayor Andy Ball.