Will Hardin’s contract be extended?

It’s nearing the 11th hour - again - for the Gaffney Board of Public Works commissioners to stop a 1-year extension of their general manager’s contract.

Another year will be added to general manager Donnie Hardin’s contract Feb.1, unless Hardin or the utility give written notice 90 working days before the contract’s June 1 anniversary date.

However, the Board is expected to consider at this weekend’s long-range planning workshop a new 4-year contract with a 2-year option that would reduce Hardin’s compensation during the last two years of the contract. The contract was prepared by the Columbia-based McNair Law Firm.

Under the proposed contract, Hardin’s salary and Christmas bonus as well as compensation for unused vacation and sick days would be trimmed from about $145,000 to $50,000 - the maximum annual amount he can earn without forfeiting his state retirement benefits.

The extension wouldn’t impact the general manager’s benefits package, which includes a deferred compensation match and a nonqualified insurance plan.

Hardin’s current deal, which runs through 2009, is worth about $250,000 after adding mandatory employer contributions for the South Carolina Retirement Fund, FICA and insurance premiums.

Hardin’s renegotiated contract, which extended the term from five to six years, was signed June 4, 2002 and carried through June 3, 2008.