Moody wants ex-fire chief pay to end

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) - A Portsmouth councilman says he will be asking city council Tuesday to end the payroll of a former fire chief.

Former Fire Chief Don Horton resigned in July and is scheduled to stay on the city's payroll through October under the Family and Medical Leave Act. According to his resignation letter, he left the area for Richmond, but did not mention a medical reason for leave.

"There's a process called a transition data form that when an employee leaves, that is communicated back to HR. I understand that was not completed, so in effect, the chief is still on the payroll," councilman William Moody Jr. said Tuesday.

Under the FMLA, employees spell out in their resignation letters they are leaving for a medical reason.

Click here to read Horton's resignation letter as well as City of Portsmouth's Family and Medical Leave policy.

Moody said it is his understanding that $20,000 in payments are being made to Horton from July through October 2012.

Moody told WAVY.com he plans to file a motion asking for Horton's pay to end unless the city manager can offer viable justification to keep paying Horton.