Doa Ana County manager gets salary increase

In a 4-1 vote, Doña Ana County Commissioners approved a new contract for county manager Fernando Macias. The lone dissenting vote was Commissioner Ben Rosen.

The commissioners extended Macias contract to 2022, a 4 year contract.

In his previous contract, Macias was paid $160,000 a year as well as a $4800 vehicle compensation. The new contract gives him a $15,000 raise and rolls the vehicle compensation into his salary, bringing it to about $180,000 per year, a 10 percent increase.

The contract also says Macias cannot be fired for the first 3 years of his contract unless he does something the commissioners decide counts as malfeasance. If he is fired in the first 2 years, the county must pay him severance pay.

Commissioner Billy Garrett said the county commissioners were overall very pleased with Macias’s management of the county, especially with issues regarding the roads and detention center.

“We are very pleased with the way the county as a whole is operating,” Garrett said. “On that basis, we decided to increase his salary, making sure that a person who is doing a very good job for the county is fairly compensated.”

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Macias has already served as county manager for one year.