MANATEE -- A proposed contract designed to keep County Administrator Ed Hunzeker on the job past his planned retirement date will be ready for commissioners to review by the end of the week.

That's what Manatee County Commission Chairman Larry Bustle told the board Tuesday following a work session at the County Administrative Center.

Bustle and Hunzeker have been negotiating, and Bustle hoped that the board could discuss the matter during its Jan. 29 meeting.

Commissioners should not speculate about what might be in the contract -- or what might not be in it, Bustle said.

The commission recently approved a motion to try to postpone the retirement of Hunzeker next year, saying he had done an excellent job.

However, as a participant in the state's Deferred Retirement Option Program (DROP), Hunzeker stands to forfeit a $337,411.83 lump-sum payment he is eligible for, along with his $6,099.47 monthly state retirement checks, if he works beyond his original retirement date of Aug. 31, 2014, according to state officials.

Hunzeker, 65, said he signed up for the DROP program when he was 62.

His current salary is about $170,000 annually.

Sara Kennedy, Herald reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7031. Follow her on Twitter@sarawrites.com.