The City of Portales will pay its former manager $95,000 to settle a whistleblower lawsuit she filed against it last year. Sarah Austin was fired in April 2024, claiming in the lawsuit it was because she repeatedly warned the city could run out of water if it didn’t limit use. The city admitted no fault or liability in settling the lawsuit.

Council members announced on Nov. 18 they had agreed to a settlement with Austin and her husband Keith Austin but declined to reveal the amount. The city released terms on Tuesday evening in response to a formal request from The News under the state’s Inspection of Public Records Act.

Keith Austin was a plaintiff in the lawsuit because he filed public records requests on Sarah’s behalf and the city did not respond, according to Victor Gafe III, the Au

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