Administrator’s contract is for one year; judge found multi-year contracts improperly binds future boards

A new contract for the Leavenworth County administrator is for a term of one year. But it will automatically renew each year unless county commissioners give a sixth-month advance notice.

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In 2017, county commissioners filed a lawsuit to challenge the validity of several multi-year contracts that had been approved by a former commission. Under these contracts, the employees would have continued receiving their salaries after being terminated.

Last year, the County Commission reached settlements in the lawsuit with two former county employees.

In December, a judge ruled that the contract of a third former county employee was invalid.

Kansas Senior Judge Edward Bouker found that the contract of former Human Resources Director Tamara Copeland “was an attempt to improperly bind future boards in matters involving their own administration and responsibilities, thus violating public policy.”

(Read more: Leavenworth Times)