Fannin County Elected Officials Were Underpaid

BLUE RIDGE, GA – An executive session was held at the September 12 Board of Commissioners regular meeting.

After a little over half an hour, Commissioners along with Finance Director Robin Gazaway returned to the regular meeting room. It had been discovered that the majority of Fannin County’s elected official’s had been receiving an incorrect salary.

Gazaway stated, “In the process of doing the 2018 budget, I had come to realize that several of the elected officials salaries were incorrect.”

With the exception of three individuals, all other elected officials were inaccurate. The majority of these discrepancies were in an underpayment of salary with only one position being slightly overpaid.To correct this mistake, through September of this year, the county would have to pay $7,500 in restitution.

Post Two Commissioner Larry Joe Sosebee commented, “We are running into all kinds of discrepancies from…our past is coming back to haunt us…our past administration.” He added, “And this is just one more in the page that we’re turning over.”

Post One Commissioner Earl Johnson questioned whose salaries were where they were supposed to be, and Gazaway replied that the Sheriff, Commission Chairman, and Coroner’s were correct.

Johnson further questioned as to who specifically was being underpaid, and Gazaway listed those receiving underpayment as the Tax Commissioner, Magistrate Court Judge, Probate Court Judge, Clerk of Court, and the two Post Commissioners.

The Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to correct salary payments, which will take effect at the beginning of October. They also voted to make retroactive payments to those that had been underpaid.