BRADENTON — Manatee County Administrator Charlie Bishop will receive a commissioner-approved merit bonus in place of a one-time payment for his attorneys’ fees after commissioners voted not to renew—but to extend—his contract last month.
The payment issue stems from an April 21 decision where the board voted unanimously to halt contract renewal negotiations with Bishop, instead opting for a six-month extension through the end of the year.
Commissioner Bob McCann, who, at the time, was the commissioner to first raise the proposal of offering the administrator an extension on his contract rather than a renewal under new terms, also proposed as consolation that the county should cover up to $3,000 of Bishop’s personal attorney fees incurred when he hired private counsel to represent him during the negotiation process…