Official resigns after questions raised about performance

ROCKINGHAM, Vt. --The municipal manager has resigned following an audit that revealed the town's financial records were inaacurate.

The Rockingham select board and Bellows Falls trustees on Tuesday accepted the resignation of Shane O'Keefe as long as a separation agreement is approved.

O'Keefe said his resignation "only tells half the story."

"It's not done yet," O'Keefe said.

O'Keefe will remain on the job until May 20, said Rockingham select board Chairman Tom MacPhee.

After auditors found that the town's financial records were inaccurate, some officials started to question O'Keefe's performance.

The auditors noted four "reportable conditions" in the town's records. The town's auditor said that the number of problems was unusual in one town.

If O'Keefe had been fired he would have received "a lump sum cash payment equal to four months aggregate salary" and would be entitled to benefits for four months, according to his contract.

If the town manager resigns, the employer is not required to provide severance pay, the contract said.

Board members plan to meet with O'Keefe to review the final separation agreement on Thursday.

"Lawyers on both sides are involved and we want to get it right," said Rockingham select board member Tom Salmon.

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Information from: Brattleboro Reformer