POLK COUNTY, Iowa — The Polk County Board of Supervisors will consider a six-figure payout to a longtime administrator at its Tuesday meeting.
County leaders placed former Iowa Democratic Party chairman John Norris on leave earlier this year. The decision nearly led to a fight at the county supervisors’ office in January.
An incident report from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office stated, “Matt [McCoy] said the board had made the decision to terminate the county administrator John Norris. Matt said this upset some of the board members and that one of them had wanted to fight. Matt said Supervisor Tom Hockensmith had lost his mind and wanted to fight him and board member Mark Holm.”
Norris has been on leave ever since.
Tuesday, supervisors will consider a resolution that would conclude Norris’ employment with the county. The settlement would make Norris’ resignation effective March 6th, 2025 but “Norris shall be available for work if requested by the County until July 1, 2026.”
The resolution includes a hefty payout. Norris would receive $190,408 for the remainder of this year along with more than $326,049 for next year. The settlement also includes a $70,000 lump sum payout.
Supervisors will vote on the agreement during the board meeting at 9:30 a.m.
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