Sandoval County has a new deputy manager.
The county has not had a deputy manager position before, but the Sandoval County Commission deemed the position necessary Nov. 19.
Commissioners approved the hiring of a deputy manager, an at-will employee chosen by the county manager, after a competitive process.
In a special meeting Friday, commissioners approved Robert E. Doucette as deputy county manager at the county administration building. The position has a salary of $120,000 a year, according to county documents.
“We expect you to come on board and save us a lot of insurance money,” Chairman David Heil said with a chuckle.
The other top-two candidates considered for the job were Megan Foster and Jon Zamon. Their résumés were not available from the county as of press time.
Also at the meeting, commissioners addressed the controversy earlier this year over a sale of a county building more than decade ago to Rio Metro Regional Transit District for $80,000 less than its value. Parties reached a settlement Friday. The county commission has approved the agreement, which will need to be approved by Rio Metro’s commission in the next 30 days to be finalized, said County Manager Wayne Johnson.
Settlement details hadn’t been released at press time.