No Show, No Pay?

Commission mulls attendance policy

Jeremy Nash news-herald.net

Loudon County Commission will seek advice from county attorney Bob Bowman on attendance requirements for commissioners at workshops and meetings.

“Right now our policy is regardless of attendance county commissioners receive their annual salary along with optional benefits if they so choose,” Rollen “Buddy” Bradshaw, county mayor, said. “I don’t know if that’s county policy or if that’s maybe state law. So we’ll get with Bob to see what actions are available as well as get some definitions as to what an absence would be.”

Commissioner Van Shaver kickstarted discussion during Monday’s workshop. He said he wanted to address any future issues.

“Should we do something within our policy to address the fact that if the day comes that we have one of our members that just refuses to participate that we can take financial actions?” Shaver said. “... There’s a (Tennessee Code Annotated) that says you have to attend the meetings to be paid. Now a lot of times that applies to the $35 per meeting. If you don’t attend, you don’t get paid. That’s not how we operate. We get a stipend. I don’t know, it kind of bothers me to think that we would have somebody that’s elected and hold the responsibilities, never, ever show up for a workshop and then pop into a meeting and start voting on stuff they have no clue what they’re voting on.”
Commissioner Gary Whitfield asked about current policy.
Shaver said he did not believe the concern has been addressed.
“A commissioner technically never has to show up again once they’re elected and can draw the check and insurance,” Bradshaw said.

Commissioner David Meers sided with Shaver.

“The people have the trust to elect us to be in these positions,” Meers said. “We are representing the people in the county. I would suggest make a recommendation that you refer to the county attorney and if we can put something in writing and make it where we should be accountable because, once again, we’re breaking public trust of the people that elected us to these positions.”

Shaver asked if board policy could give commission authority.
“Now again, people are going to miss a meeting every now and then, there’s no question there’s going to be things that will come up,” Shaver said. “But to openly say, ‘I’m not going because I don’t care what they’re doing. I don’t need that. I know what’s going on.’ I mean that’s what somebody could possibly say in the future. I’m not saying anybody’s said that now.”
Commissioner Bill Satterfield didn’t know if attendance was required for workshops.
Shaver agreed, saying he was “probably correct” workshops were optional.
“We do that for our own ability to learn and know what’s going on,” Shaver said. “That’s why we have our workshops so that we’ll be prepared for our voting meetings.”
There was initial discussion of addressing absences on a case-by-case basis.

“We are elected by the people and I don’t think there’s anybody sitting on this board ... that would say you have a problem with not coming to meetings,” Kelly Littleton-Brewster, commissioner, said. “So I mean I’m all for 100 percent. We can put whatever we need to in our policy because I will support it 100 percent to say, ‘Yes, I don’t have a problem with it because I got elected by the people. I’m here to represent the people. People expect me to be here and I’m going to be here.’ And I think everybody else feels the same way.”

Commissioner Harold Duff has seen attendance discussed twice over the years. Both times subsequent action failed.

Commissioners also talked about benefits.

“I look at it as do they become almost a part-time employee when they miss 25 percent and do they lose their eligibility for benefits,” Adam Waller, commissioner, said.

Littleton-Brewster didn’t know if commission could touch benefits but could examine how much a person is paid.

“I consider workshops mandatory since our policy is if you can’t vote on that hasn’t been to a workshop,” Satterfield said. “I’m also like Kelly, I don’t think there’s any need of delving into insurance and stuff. But you can take whatever the pay is, divide it by the number of months. And, like I said, if they make a commission meeting and no workshop, then they get half the pay that month. ... Then get into arbitrary, do we want to say calendar year that you can miss X number of meetings without any penalty?

Shaver stressed discussion was as much about the future as the present.

Bradshaw questioned if the matter should be up to voters.

“But the voters can’t rectify that problem for four years,” Shaver said. “In four years the voters have gotten the short shaft on a whole lot of worth.”

Commissioners also briefly discussed Commissioner Julia Hurley’s listing as Tennessee County Commission Association secretary and if the county paid for her travel. Multiple commissioners hoped the county did not. She no longer serves as Loudon County representative, Shaver said.

Hurley was not present for the workshop.

Before moving on, Satterfield asked Bradshaw to speak with Bowman about possibly changing the Loudon County Solid Waste Disposal Commission, notably chairman Steve Field’s seat.

Satterfield had an issue with Field not informing others of a possible buyout of Santek Waste Services, which operates the Matlock Bend Landfill.

“Withholding information, that kind of information to me is tantamount to lying to the county of doing his job and I think we need to do something about it,” Satterfield said.

BACK
8/24/20