Nye County Commissioner Peter Liakopoulos said he'll request an agenda item at the next county commission meeting to terminate County Manager Ron Williams when his contract expires May 30.

Commissioners voted 3-2 Feb. 19 to search for a new county manager, but Commissioner Gary Hollis made the motion to keep Williams in his position until the successful transition to a new county manager is completed.

The application deadline for county manager candidates expired April 25. (See related story page A1.)

Commissioners Joni Eastley and Roberta "Midge" Carver voted against the motion. Eastley said she wants to renegotiate Williams' contract beyond Dec. 31.

Williams, who was formerly the county planning director, was named interim county manager following the departure of Mike Maher in March 2006. After an unsuccessful recruitment process, Williams was given a contract as county manager in December 2006, just before Commissioners Liakopooulos and Butch Borasky took office.

Last year, comptroller Pam Webster was promoted to assistant county manager, after commissioners received 41 applications for that position.

The county commission meets again May 20 in Pahrump.

"Due to the fact we're coming on some budgetary crises, to prevent any layoffs from being with us, in the long term we should terminate Williams' contract," Liakopoulos said.

"Pam Webster's very capable and does the assistant county manager job. She's very capable of becoming the interim county manager and it would save the county a lot of money," he said.

Williams' gross pay every two weeks amounts to $5,760.96, according to the quarterly list of bills for payment. That would amount to an annual salary of $149,785.