It seemed rather innocuous at first; a consent agenda item lumped in with several run-of-the-mill items, but it became what could be seen as an egregious abuse of power by some of our elected officials.
The Mitchell County Board of Commissioners voted 4-1 at its more recent meeting to let Mitchell County Department of Social Services Director Sara Ross keep the $12,000 moving allowance she was given to relocate from Hendersonville to Mitchell County as an “incentive” payment.
When Ross was hired in late 2018, she was given the moving allowance contingent on her moving to Mitchell County by June 30, 2019. When that deadline lapsed, it was extended. Now that the extension has expired, the board voted 4-1, with Commissioner Jeff Harding being the lone dissenter, to let Ross keep that money and she is now not required to move to Mitchell County. The most troubling aspect to this entire series of events is not the money, although that is concerning, it is that Harding and Commissioner Vern Grindstaff were the only two even willing to discuss the agenda item before it was brought to a vote. Harding’s motion to discuss the agenda item in the open meeting before the vote was overruled by Commissioners Jacob Willis, Danny Burleson and Steve Pitman.
Their reluctance to even explain why the decision to let $12,000 of taxpayers’ money be given to a department head as incentive payment is a blatant neglect of their fiduciary responsibilities as elected officials.
We now look to the future when the county’s other department heads come to the Board of Commissioners asking when they will be getting their incentive payments. After all, this decision sets a precedent that puts the ball firmly in the employees’ court when those discussions ultimately occur.
Sara Ross didn’t make this decision; this is not her fault. She is a hardworking, smart DSS director, and she should be commended for the job she does – it’s not an easy one. We also know the 20 or so other department heads in the Mitchell County Government are smart, hardworking and have demanding jobs. If one is eligible for a five-figure “incentive” payment, then why aren’t the other ones?
The residents of Mitchell County, and more importantly, the electorate, should remember this decision the next time the Board of Commissioners use the lack of money, or the possibility of a tax increase, to vote for or against anything.
It could take a long time for this breach of fiscal responsibility to stop rearing its ugly head.