West Valley chief may get year's pay

WEST VALLEY CITY — City Manager John Patterson resigned because of rumor and innuendo, but he won't have to worry about a salary next year.

The City Council met behind closed doors Tuesday to discuss Patterson's severance package. A formal vote is needed in next week's regularly scheduled council meeting, but it looks like the 11-year city manager will at least get his $122,550 salary for 2003.

A clause in the city's policy manual allows for such a deal for any outgoing city manager, not just Patterson. The policy states that if a city manager is fired without cause or resigns in lieu of termination without cause, that person is eligible for a severance equaling up to one year's salary. That clause was written into the policy after Patterson came on board.

It'll be up to Patterson whether he wants the money in one lump sum or spread out, said human resources boss Paul Isaac.

As part of his benefit package, his 401(k) fund will also get a boost equal to 20 percent of his annual salary, but he cannot touch that money, about $24,400, for several years without a financial penalty. He'll also be paid through the remainder of this year by way of accrued sick leave and vacation time. Those are the same benefits available to any city employee, Isaac said.

The council may also decide to help with insurance benefits until Patterson finds a job someplace else, which will probably be outside of Utah, he said. The insurance could cost up to $7,400.

Technically, it was a retirement for Patterson, who will turn 50 Friday. But his main reason for leaving so suddenly stems from rumors about what he said was a past "close" relationship with a former assistant. As recently as Oct. 14, he was seen by a police officer in the Valley Fair Mall parking lot with the woman, which apparently went against Patterson's assurance to the council that he would sever that tie. Patterson explained the meeting by saying she was having car troubles.

Mayor Dennis Nordfelt said the association was too close to be professional. It was affecting the trust and confidence of those beneath Patterson, the mayor said.

Patterson was eligible for a bonus at the end of this year worth almost $14,500. But after a performance review last week in which the relationship with the former assistant was blamed for adversely affecting his ability to perform his duties, that bonus was reduced to $3,600.