OGDEN — Former Police Chief Jon Greiner, who was fired from his job last month because of a federal Hatch Act violation, will receive a severance package from the city with a gross value of $77,300.

The package stems from a settlement agreement Greiner and former Mayor Matthew Godfrey signed Dec. 30, according to records obtained by the Standard-Examiner.

The payout equals six months of Greiner’s salary and accrued health, dental, vacation, vehicle and retirement benefits.

In exchange for the severance package, Greiner has released the city from any future legal claims.

The severance package given to Greiner is standard for all city department directors, Mayor Mike Caldwell said.

Greiner could not be reached for comment regarding the severance.

Greiner was terminated after 38 years on the job following a ruling by the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board that the city must fire him or forfeit $215,000, which equals two years of his pay, in federal grants because of the Hatch Act violation.

The Merit Systems Protection Board last month upheld Administrative Law Judge Lana Parke’s 2010 decision that Greiner violated the Hatch Act because he signed off on a half-dozen federal grants worth more than $1 million and already in place during his successful 2006 campaign for the state Senate.

The city appealed Parke’s decision and Greiner, a Republican, didn’t run for re-election to the Senate in 2010.

Initially created in 1939 to protect federal employees from undue political pressure at the hands of those seeking federal office, the Hatch Act has expanded over the years to cover state and local elections. It limits the involvement of certain government employees in partisan political races if they play a role in administering federal funds.

Meanwhile, the city will accept applications from police chief candidates through Jan. 17. The job will pay $90,919 to $123,008 annually.

Caldwell plans to assemble a committee made up of area law enforcement officials to review applications and recommend whom he should hire. It hasn’t been determined when a police chief will be named.

“We want to make sure we hire the right person,” Caldwell said.

See what the Weber County Forum says