Following an oral report of a state audit, the Seward County Commissioners considered a resolution that addressed supplemental payments to employees under the Seward County Attorney.
These supplemental wages came from grants and interlocal agreements the county attorney’s office manages. Two county employees also received payment as vendors.
A representative with the state auditor’s office said the office would not comment on the audit until the finished report is released in December or January.
However, during the commissioners’ Nov. 27 meeting, the board discussed the proposed resolution, and other elected officials voiced their concerns.
The resolution failed to pass with a 2-2 vote, with Commissioners Roger Glawatz and Whitney Fleischman voting in favor of the resolution and Commissioners Becky Paulsen and John Culver voting against it. Commissioner Gene Gausman was absent.
The resolution, drafted by the county attorney, states that the grants and interlocal agreements her office manages are beneficial to the county and save taxpayers money.
The resolution also states that managing the grants and agreements requires work “above and beyond the general requirements of [the county attorney’s employees’] position.”
If passed, the resolution would have approved supplemental payments to maintain the grants and interlocal agreements. The payments would have been reviewed by the commissioners as part of the county’s monthly payroll.
Before the resolution, the board discussed the issue while considering November claims, or bills the county needed to pay for the month.
Paulsen originally moved to approve all claims with the exception of two vendor claims and the supplemental payments.
At that point, Glawatz called for an executive session, and said the reason for going into closed session was to discuss personnel.
The agenda for the Nov. 27 meeting did not give notice that the board would discuss personnel or employees’ pay.
Boards may go into executive session to protect public interest and to prevent needless injury to an individual’s reputation.
Even though the board was discussing financial information, which is of public interest, Glawatz said Nov. 30 he was trying to protect employees.
“I would still stand by that,” Glawatz said. “I know it’s a fine line.”
However, county payroll and claims are all public information, meaning the employees receiving extra pay can be found through public documents. Glawatz said the closed session likely didn’t serve its purpose, anyway, because of discussion that took place during the consideration of the resolution.
Glawatz also said, in regard to the closed session, members of the board did not understand what was going on, and he had to talk to them without sounding like a politician.
After exiting executive session, the board approved claims as they were presented. Glawatz created a committee of Elston, Paulsen and Culver to determine how to handle these supplemental payments moving forward.
On Dec. 3, County Attorney Wendy Elston said some of these interlocals and supplemental payments have taken place since 2013, and that past boards understood the process.
She said it’s possible some current board members do not agree with the process, which is why she will work with the committee to find a process that they want to use moving forward.
During the discussion on the resolution, Glawatz said the board will work on the vendor claims issue, though the resolution addressed the supplemental wages.
Elston did not speak much during the meeting. Read her comments on the issue on HERE.
County Assessor Marilyn Hladky said there is already dissatisfaction among county employees who may be upset only certain employees are making extra money.
At previous meetings, elected officials have brought up poor morale among county employees, and County Treasurer Bob Dahms stated in October that the board shows favoritism toward the county attorney.
Dahms said his employees saw the supplemental payments as a “slap in the face.”
Hladky also said, while she has nothing against the people who received these payments, she wanted to see the tax savings the grants and interlocal agreements provide for the county, as compared to the benefits the county pays for employees who help manage them.
County Clerk Sherry Schweitzer said the county provides health insurance benefits for employees who are funded through grants.
Hladky said she was against the resolution because it’s not transparent to push it through without better discussion.
Glawatz said he doesn’t think anything is slipping by.
“We have to be careful as to what we say here,” Glawtaz said.
He said the positions in question are important for the county and the services it can provide.
Hladky asked why the board doesn’t find other employees and departments as important.
Fleischman said there are not grants available for the assessor’s office or other offices.
“It’s not like we’d decline or deny your employee moneys from a grant if you served a role that actually utilized one,” Fleischman said.
Fleischman said the county attorney’s office is using grants to fund work that is above and beyond what is expected.
Fleischman also said what other elected officials said about the issue was inaccurate and appalling. She said personal agendas within the county government were getting ridiculous.
“You guys are grossly misinformed,” Fleischman said.
Schweitzer said she has no agenda and often works with the county attorney. She said other departments get busy and work overtime, too, and have their own unique duties.
Instead of receiving extra pay, as determined by the department head, Schweitzer said employees who work overtime are compensated in compensatory time.
Schwetizer said the departments are expected to follow the county’s personnel policies and to log their time through the county’s timekeeping system, ADP.
Schweitzer said the supplemental payments are not being accounted for through that system and add up to thousands of dollars.
“By you passing this resolution, you’re OKing the supplemental payment to go on and on. And it’s OK with you guys,” Schwetizer said. “Is it? Is it OK for one group to be called uniquely different?”
Elston said hours for grant work is logged separately.
During this discussion, Fleischman laughed at several points while the elected officials were speaking.
“Don’t laugh at me,” Schweitzer told her.
At one point, Dahms told Fleischman to “get that smile off [her] face.”
Glawatz then brought discussion to a close.
“Why can’t we ever do anything without bringing in personal things? I just hate that,” Glawatz said. “You can govern without being personal.”
He said the committee will continue to work on this issue to make the payments more transparent and added that this wasn’t done to sneak in higher wages.
After the vote to pass the resolution failed, Glawatz said the issue may come up again in a few weeks after the committee has met.
amanda@sewardindependent.com
