LOCAL

Large bonuses, incentives inflated Buncombe County's other six-figure salaries

Jennifer Bowman
The Citizen-Times
The Buncombe County building, 200 College St., in downtown Asheville.

ASHEVILLE – Former Buncombe County manager Wanda Greene wasn’t the only one.

Newly released employee records show other county employees, all of whom already were receiving six-figure salaries, received extra compensation that boosted their annual pay far beyond numbers previously released under public records requests.

Like Greene, some employees saw payments this year more than double their annual base salary, thanks to a retention incentive program and bonuses apparently handed out at Greene's discretion.

Others also received so-called supplements as payment for additional responsibilities, a practice the county has since ended since new County Manager Mandy Stone took over this summer.

More: Anonymous hotline, no-retaliation policy set up for Buncombe County employees

Documents released this week following public records requests from the Citizen-Times and others revealed Greene, the former county manager now under federal criminal investigation, was paid more than double her annual base salary in half the time, earning $508,081 in the last six months of her work.

Much of the boost came from a retirement benefit that handed her six months salary and the payout of a retention incentive she gave herself and at least nine other employees.

But others benefited, too, including directors and one of Greene's relatives.

Budget Director Diane Price, for example, makes $176,874 annually. But since last year, she’s also received nearly $163,000 extra under the retention incentive. She’s received another $30,000 annually in what is described as a “multi-director bonus,” as Price serves as both budget director and assistant county manager. This year, she also received a $5,000 performance bonus.

Her records show – including items like unpaid leave, travel allowance and longevity pay – that she stands to make as much as $317,056 this year.

Before her promotion to county manager, Stone made $176,874. She served as both health and human services director and assistant county manager; the additional responsibilities garnered a so-called supplement of about $30,000 annually.

Stone also received the retention incentive, receiving an additional $164,357 since 2016. Her total pay this year, including a salary increase due to her promotion, is expected to reach $307,943.

Assistant County Manager Jon Creighton, whose annual base salary is $176,874, stands to make $351,724 this year. He's received more than $164,000 for his retention incentive over a two-year period, and more than $171,000 over a four-year period for juggling both planning and assistant manager duties.

Price, Stone and Creighton could not be reached Friday.

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Greene's son, Michael Greene, did not receive a retention incentive but has received $4,000 in bonus pay since 2015. He resigned from his job as business intelligence manager, a position that paid $120,350 annually, the same day the investigation into his mother was confirmed.

Wanda Greene's sister, Irene Wolfe, received more than $104,000 as a retention incentive. Four days after the investigation was confirmed, Wolfe took a "voluntary reassignment," switching her job from financial services manager to accountant. The change prompted a $30,000 pay cut, bringing her annual salary down to $76,650.

But when including incentives, unpaid leave and holiday hours, Wolfe is expected to make about $197,000 this year.

Another sister, Peggy Hughes, works in the jail's identification bureau, making about $47,069 annually. She did not receive a retention incentive but was awarded a $5,000 performance bonus last year.

See: Devereux spoke with federal prosecutor amid federal investigation

County officials said this week that during Greene's tenure, public records requests related to salary information didn't fully comply with state law. Only base salary numbers previously were provided, they said, and did not include information about bonuses, incentives and other pay.

Thomas Amburgey, Greene's attorney, declined to comment Friday.

This week, county commissioners approved an overhaul of Buncombe's personnel ordinance, including a $1,000 cap on bonuses and requiring that they be reported to elected officials when awarded. The county also is ending its early retirement program.

County officials would not say whether the salary information, released this week, is related to the Greene investigation. 

But while it’s the most information – and most comment from county commissioners – since the probe was confirmed in mid-August, the data released this week raise more questions than provides answers.

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The terms of retention incentives vary for each person who received them. While some have written agreements, others do not, and the date on which the employee agreed to stay with Buncombe County for the incentive is different for each worker.

Also unclear is how the county determined who would receive the incentive. A budget ordinance passed in 2015 allowed for the retention incentives, but Greene had full discretion on distributing them, county officials said.

Sheriff Van Duncan received the incentive, despite being an elected official. With an annual base salary of $130,207, Duncan began receiving his retention incentive in 2016 through his regular paycheck.

He said Greene approached him that year, saying the incentive would be the equivalent of one year's salary paid over three years — the same offering under the county's early retirement program — and ultimately would increase his state pension.

Duncan, who worked for the county well before he won the sheriff's race, said he was undecided at the time on whether he would seek re-election after his term ended in 2018; the agreement for his incentive calls for completing his current term. He's since announced he'll retire next year.

Duncan received the remainder of his retention incentive this spring, a move he said hurt him in taxes.

He said he later learned the incentive did not count toward his pension. He'll get about $1,000 less a month than what he expected.

The incentive ultimately hurt him financially, Duncan said, "and was not what I agreed to or led to believe what it was going to be."

"The only thing that really bothers me is the fact that I'm leaving here under some sort of cloud, when I didn't think I was doing anything other than to take the retirement that the county offered," he said.

Duncan added, "I think (the other recipients) were just folks looking at their retirement. None of it was out of line with what the county offers and now I think we all know that Wanda was just trying to include and give herself some cover to really boost her salary out the top, and then hoping to have some cover because some other people had gotten some benefit under the same sort of rule. It's just a shame."

County officials said Thursday that disbursements of bonuses and incentives were approved in previous ordinances, with broad authority given to Greene. Her own retention pay would have been signed off by former board Chairman David Gantt, said Lisa Eby, human resources and community engagement director.

A copy of the written agreement for Greene's incentive is on file, but it is unsigned, Eby said.

Gantt did not immediately return a call from the Citizen-Times.

Curt Euler, a senior attorney who previously was human resources director, said he provided Greene with ordinance language, but that the ordinances often were worded differently when presented to commissioners for a vote.

"We just recently figured this out," said Eby, who took over human resources after Greene's retirement. "We are doing our best under the circumstances to piece many things together."

Who got the incentive

Greene and at least nine other employees received the retention incentive, according to documents released this week by the county. Under the program, those who were awarded the incentive received an additional year of pay. Documents show they began to receive the incentive in 2016, with payments continuing this year. 

Here's how much employees received under the program.

Wanda Greene, former county manager: $241,790.14

Irene Wolfe, financial services manager/accountant, Greene's sister: $104,144.86

Gary Roberts, retired tax director: $145,570.26

Diane Price, budget director: $162,899

Jon Creighton, assistant county manager: $164,042.41

Mandy Stone, former health and human services director and assistant county manager, now county manager: $164,357.27

Kathy Hughes, clerk to the board and public relations director: $111,261.72

Van Duncan, sheriff: $125,224.17

Patricia Freeman, identification director: $119,461.21

David Brigman, air quality director: $125,849.15