PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Portsmouth taxpayers are on the hook to pay for another fired city employee.
City Council voted 5-1 this week to fire City Assessor Patrick Dorris after some residents complained of high real estate assessments.
Dorris will collect $57,225 in severance over the next six months, which comes out to half his yearly salary.
More than half a million dollars has been promised to former Portsmouth employees in just the last 10 months.
Dorris is now the 8th high-profile city employee to be fired or leave since May of last year.
All but one of them, former City Manager Tonya Chapman, received a severance, for a combined total of $533,440.
Tonya Chapman is fighting to get the $400,000 severance she claims to be owed.
At the time of her firing, Mayor Shannon Glover and Councilman Bill Moody said Chapman was fired with cause.
A city spokesperson and a city council member said this week there is no update as to whether Chapman will be able to collect that severance.
Below is the total severance promised to these former employees at the time of their separation with the city:
- Angel Jones: $103,000
- Renado Prince: $77,500
- Mimi Terry: $101,581
- Daniel Jones: $25,270
- Dee Wright: $81,375
- -Robert Baldwin: $87,489
- Patrick Dorris: $57,225