Departments Heads Told to Keep Post Commissioners Informed and Follow Directions

News

Post Commissioner Earl Johnson reiterated department heads’ responsibility to keep Commissioners informed of major actions taking place in their departments.  Aug. 23rd was the Road and Rec Departments; Sept. 13th it was the Fire Department

This time was Fire Chief Randy Thomas’ turn to be in the “hot seat.” Chief Thomas is requesting $150,000 to renovate Fire Station #3 on Aska Road.  Chief Thomas claimed that the station is “bursting at its seams” so much so that the ambulance has to be parked outside.

Johnson’s disagreement is with how Chief Thomas went about requesting the funds.  Specifically, Johnson wants evidence of why the county should spend $150,000 of taxpayer money.  He asked Thomas to provide some data such as incoming calls and response time that show the amount of residents relying on Fire Station #3 has increased, thus justifying the need to enlarge the station.  Johnson feels that he has been left out of the loop on many county matters that he must decide on and the Fire Station is just one represetation.  Johnson has not said that he is unwilling to budget $150,000 for Fire Station renovation.

This follows Johnson’s statements at the August 23rd Board of Commissioners meeting when he reprimanded Charles Collins, Fannin County Road Superintendent, for not showing up to give his Department Head report for the past couple of meetings.

Chief Thomas was not the only recipient of Johnson’s ire at county department heads for not keeping him informed of major decisions and projects.  Johnson also admonished Rita Davis Kirby, Fannin County Chief Financial Officer and County Clerk, for not informing him of decisions and actions either she or Chairman Bill Simonds are making.

Johnson erupted at disclosure of Davis Kirby’s hire for her administrative assistant, especially since Johnson heard of the hire after it had been made and after people not associated with county government knew about it.  Davis Kirby’s choice was the one both Post –Commissioners told her not to hire at the August 23rd Board of Commissioners meeting because the woman is the wife of a Sheriff’s Office employee.  At the Aug.23rd meeting, both Post-Commissioners Johnson and Sosebee publically told all department heads and audience that Fannin County departments would not hire friends and family.  Sosebee’s words at that meeting were “This brother, sister, mom, friend, whoever, that’s got to stop.  Somewhere down the road that’s got to come to an end.”  At that time, Sosebee told Davis Kirby that he did not want another person related to the Sheriff’s Department working in the financial part of county government.  Both Post-Commissioners agree that their actions have nothing to do with the Sheriff’s Office and the Kirby family but everything to do with two people associated with the Sheriff’s Office working in the financial end of county government.

At the Sept. 13th meeting the Post-Commissioners learned that Davis Kirby moved forward with hiring the one person they had told her not to hire.  However, who actually gave approval to the hiring was muddied.  Davis Kirby states that Chairman Bill Simonds gave her the go ahead to hire who she felt was most qualified and the officer’s wife is the most qualified.  Simonds concurred saying that there were six to eight applicants and out of the two to three best qualified, this woman’s application kept appearing on the top.  Johnson also publically asked Fannin County’s Human Resources Manager, who was sitting in the audience if she had met the woman in question.  The answer was no.

Sosebee said, “The insubordination keeps going on and one.  This can’t continue under this administration or any other.”

Johnson reminded everyone that taxpayers had spent $154,000 so that the Post-Commissioners would have more power over hiring and firing and to have more transparency in the Board of Commissioners and the county government as a whole. Sosebee agreed that they couldn’t have been any plainer than if he “took the shirt off his back and danced on the podium.”  Sosebee also made a motion that a warning be placed in Davis Kirby’s personnel file.

 

Defending the Road Department

Fannin County Road Department has been under attack for how work hours and vacation hours showed up on paychecks of employees after the December 2015 storms.  At the time, Chairman Simonds defended how the Head of the Road Department chose to calculate the paychecks.  Simonds reminded everyone that the crews worked long hours for little pay on Christmas weekend, Dec. 24th and 25th, 2015, when torrential downpours damaged Fannin roads.  During the Public Commentary, Fannin resident Ralph Garner brought up the paycheck dilemma again and said that the Road Department was illegally billing out thousands of dollars.  In Commissioners’ Comments, Sosebee said, “I don’t consider anybody there (Road Department) a crook.  They are hardworking people.”  He added that the Commissioners had put a stop to what was going on with the paychecks in the Road Department

 

Personnel Policy Update

For several months now, Sosebee has been pushing the Commissioners to update the personnel policy for the county.  Sosebee told FetchYourNews that the policy has not been updated since 1997.  So, right now there is no policy about social media, which puts the county at great liability said Sosebee.  The personnel policy has a lot of different areas that need to be moved into modern times.  “There is no way we cannot do it,” said Sosebee.

The personnel policy has been on the agenda several times, but it has always been tabled, as was the case at the Sept. 13th meeting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Family and Friends Hires

 

Question is who hired the person? Check writing in the past.  Simonds said he didn’t do it.   Kirby he told me to hire who I saw fit.

 

Johnson called Human Resources in on the carpet.

 

Sosebee insubordination keeps goiijng on.  Kirby, respectfully disagree.  This can’t continue not under this administration or any other.

 

This has nothing to do with th sheriffs office it has everything to do with two wives from the sheriffs office working in the financial dept.

 

Johnson wants to get more information

 

Warning in personnel file

 

Roads Department

 

Sosebee and Simonds  Hardworking guys.  Simonds, paid for salaries called out on paying overtime.  Stands by decision of roads crew because it was a hard time in the December rainsPut connection to artile here.

 

Not agree with how it is done, but do agree that the Raods department forwent Christmas to keep country drivers safe.

Comdeenation on Salem Rd – separate story

 

 

Chamber of Commerce tourism tax split

Chamber contract is up in June.  Contract with Chamber for 60/40  wants to get to 50/50 what was it before?

 

 

 

“Your not really talking to deaf ears up here.”

 

Boating next to DNR

Earl Johnson the everyman, said I know not going to use public dock if DNR patrol boat dock is there. Fannin County contistants

 

Kirby – do have safety problems ythere

Who keeps up with the housed.  We need more money from TVA to do the docks/

 

 

 

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Back to Top