SUNBURY - Former Northumberland County Industrial Development Authority (IDA) Executive Director James King will receive more than $131,000 in back pay, approximately $40,000 less than he requested.
After months of negotiations, King and IDA board members reached a settlement last month on the amount of back pay he would receive. In June, King, who had served as IDA executive director since 1987, requested the authority pay him $170,166 for services rendered since 2004. He accrued the salary during a time the IDA couldn't afford to pay him, King has said previously.
King, 71, of Winfield, said Friday he received in excess of $60,000 in June when the county commissioners decided to replace him. Coupled with the $71,600 in back pay he was granted by the IDA board in late December, King will receive approximately $131,600.
Amicable talks
IDA Solicitor Roger Wiest II said
talks that led to the financial settlement were amicable. He commended King for his longtime service. In his opinion, Wiest said, the compensation was not enough for the work King did.
Wiest said King will be paid with funds provided by the state Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) for administrative and advertising expenses that the IDA has accumulated over the years.
The IDA board met late last month and approved paying King $5,600 at the end of the year and another $66,000 by late January.
Wiest said the deal must be approved by DCED.
King reserved comment about the payments.
$32,500 salary
He came under attack by Northumberland County Commissioner Vinny Clausi at a commissioners' meeting in February 2011 for alleged ineffectiveness.
King, who received an annual salary of $32,500, is a disabled veteran whose salary was cut approximately 17 percent in 1992 by the IDA due to a lack of funding. King, who is currently a volunteer with the Central Pennsylvania Chamber of Commerce Regional Resource Center in Milton, was officially replaced as IDA executive director July 1 by county planning director Pat Mack, who did not receive additional financial compensation for serving in both positions. Mack's salary is $39,000.
King, who was employed by the IDA and county Industrial Development Corp. (IDC), said in June he was disturbed about being replaced.
IDA Chairman Ned Sodrick previously said the authority believed King earned the money he accrued. He said King was never paid for his services going back to 2004 because the authority didn't have the money.