06/16/2026
High tensions flared during a Comstock Township meeting Monday night as four board members made the decision to give more than $412,000 of township funds to recently fired Superintendent Scott Hess in one lump-sum payment, as part of his release agreement: https://bit.ly/4vdh0VN
The vote centered on a separation agreement, including a liability waiver intended to prevent the township from being sued, and a decision about how a total payout of $412,429.94 should be offered to the superintendent after he was fired without cause at a meeting on June 1.
The four board members who voted yes to making one large payout were the same four who voted to fire him without cause two weeks ago, and the same four who voted to give Hess a $20,000 raise in April 2025.
Clerk Nicole Beauchamp, Trustee Kristie Cherry, Trustee Terry McIver, and Trustee Bob Pratt.
Township Supervisor Ben Martin, Treasurer Sandra Bloomfield, and Trustee Jerry Amos voted against making a lump-sum payout.
The release agreement put the total payout at $412,429.94, broken into three payments.
The release agreement calculates Hess’s daily salary using an annual base of $145,536.04.
However, the most recent amendment to his employment contract, signed May 28, 2025, sets his annual salary at $141,297.00, per Resolution 2025-1, approved April 28, 2025.
At that meeting, Beauchamp was on the record praising Hess’s “dedication, professionalism, and hard work."
The board authorized the salary increase, along with $600 per month in vehicle allowance, in a 4-2 vote.
No readily available public document provides an explanation for the apparent increase of $4,239.04 per year from that contract to the current payout.
News Channel 3 asked the township to explain the discrepancy, but has not received an answer.
