LEE COUNTY, Fla.- Lee County commissioners accepted the resignation of County Manager Karen Hawes in a 4 to 1 vote Tuesday morning.

She will receive one year's worth of salary, totaling $170,000, one year of health insurance, and compensation for any unused sick time and holidays.

Those benefits were already outlined in the county manager contract Hawes signed in September 2009.

October 31st will be her last day.

Hawes is the third Lee County employee to resign amid the billing issues surrounding Medstar. John Wilson, Public Safety director, and Kim Dickerson, EMS director, also stepped down.

Commissioner Brian Bigelow was the lone dissenter in the vote. He said Hawes should be terminated, rather than being allowed to resign, her severance package was too generous, and exit should be immediate.

Other commissioners disagreed.

Commissioner Frank Mann said he wanted to make the separation process as "painless" and "generous" for Hawes as possible.

The board indicated it has not yet discussed an interim county manager. Commissioners said they were prepared to think of a replacement and make that appointment at next Tuesday's board meeting.