Marshall Democrat-News: Local News: County commissioners approve personnel changes (12/22/09)

At their meeting Tuesday, Dec. 22, Saline County Commissioners dealt mostly with personnel matters.

Commissioners approved the hiring of four part-time workers to assist County Collector Grace Miles during the 2009 tax season. The employees began working Dec. 17 and earn $7.50 per hour.

During an executive session last week, commissioners said, they upheld the termination of two county employees: Jamie Williams and Victoria Mitchell, who had worked in the prosecuting attorney's office and sheriff's department, respectively.

In other business, commissioners approved the extension of vacation time from 2009 to 2010 for two county employees. The time must be used in the first 90 days of the new year.

Commissioners also announced that Sheriff Wally George has hired Charles Scharnhorst as a new deputy with the department, with a starting salary of $20, 250.

Commissioners will meet again Wednesday, Dec. 23, at 9 a.m. in the lower level of the courthouse.

Contact Sydney Stonner at marshallbusiness@socket.net

No worries Eric...I hold no hard feelings towards the media for publishing this story as you are just doing your job-nor do I have harsh feelings for the Board of Commissioners even though I would have handled it differently then was done towards me. I understand that "Officials are required by state law to make public the results of closed meetings within 72 hours if a vote was taken", but I was caught off guard as I have been watching the mailbox daily waiting for the results. Imagine my surprise when I happened to take a break from preparing for the holidays and looked online to find this story online and hurried to explain it to my children and family before their friends told them. If anything I would like to say thank you ERIC for letting me know what the final decision was-happy holidays.

-- Posted by peopleamazeme on Tue, Dec 22, 2009, at 8:31 PM

Yes Eric I would agree that it would be unusual, but did you not see who I signed it as? I am the Jamie Williams that was discussed inside the article and I happen to know firsthand that I WAS NOT made aware that the board had took what was supposed to be a closed meeting appeal process about my employment termination and turn it into a public ridicule at my expense.

-- Posted by peopleamazeme on Tue, Dec 22, 2009, at 8:05 PM

Response by Eric Crump/Editor:

I'm sorry you were not informed of the results of the hearing prior to the story being published. Just to clarify, though: No, I didn't know who you were when you posted. The meeting was closed, I believe. The results were announced in an open meeting several days later. Officials are required by state law to make public the results of closed meetings within 72 hours if a vote was taken.

WOW! I guess if you want to know if you have been officially terminated you should expect to find it published in a newspaper before being given the common courtesy of a meeting, phone call, or at least a letter before it is made public to everyone else within days before Christmas. Since I was not given the chance to voice my sincere wishes to my past fellow employees, I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year.

Jamie Williams

-- Posted by peopleamazeme on Tue, Dec 22, 2009, at 7:09 PM

What makes you think the employees weren't advised of their termination prior to the publication of our story? That would be very unusual.

I don't believe the commission has any legal control over who the prosecutor hires or fires and I know that they have no control over any commissioned deputy of the sheriff's department. So was the executive session just a mute point?

I see the starting salary for a deputy sheriff is still at the same level it was 15 years ago.

Starting pay for a new green 911 dispatcher $26,000 + benefits & all training & equipment paid for. Nice climate controled enviroment sitting in $1,000 chairs with TV and internet.

Starting salary for commissioned deputy sheriff $20,250, deputy pays $5000-$8000 for their own training, must buy own firearms, leather, badge, brass, mace, nightstick or baton and all weather gear, rain coats, gloves, high priced boots. Works in all climates, deals daily with unruly people, high probability of getting injured or killed, and does their reports in $5.00 wore out chairs purchased at state surplus.

What is wrong with this picture???

-- Posted by Gumby on Tue, Dec 22, 2009, at 6:13 PM