Mecklenburg County Commissioners voted Wednesday night to give outgoing County Manager Dena Diorio an 8% raise for her last year.
Her total compensation will be just over $545,000, backdated to the start of this fiscal year July 1.
County Commissioner Vilma Leake told Diorio that she would give her a million dollars if she could, and said she wanted to show her appreciation now, before Diorio retires next summer.
"I'm not waiting till you can't take a cup of soup ... And you understand what I mean? That you need to know now, and not later, what people think about you," she said.
The vote was 6-2, with commissioners Laura Meier and Susan Rodriguez-McDowell voting no.
Commissioners also put out a request to find an executive search firm to start looking for Diorio’s replacement. They hope to hire a search firm by November.
Diorio previously announced her plans to retire next June, the end of this fiscal year.
