A nearly $1 million severance payment to the former city manager of Fontana has raised eyebrows.
Ken Hunt retired in July of 2019 and signed a settlement agreement outlining the terms of his departure, which included $932,623 spread across three paychecks in January 2020, according to the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.
According to the Daily Bulletin, Hunt had worked for the city since 1990 and was the promoted to city manager – the city’s chief executive - in 1999.
At the time he retired, Hunt was earning $361,325 in pay and 103,258 in benfits, according to Transparent California.
Robert Fellner from Transparent California has compiled public salaries over the years. Fellner told KNX that he thought the number was a mistake when he first saw it and couldn't believe the city council would pay out so much.
“If they wanted to fire him because he did something wrong, they could have done so for zero dollars,” Fellner said. “If they wanted to fire him for no reason, they could have paid him substantially less, according to his contract.”
City officials declined to comment to KNX.