Short-Staffed Auditor’s Office Leaves County in a Pinch

The new budget year for the County government hasn’t even started yet, and the Commissioners Court is already feeling the pinch.

The Fayette County Commissioners Court met twice in closed executive session during their meeting last Thursday, Dec. 14, to discuss a personnel problem in the County Auditor’s Office.

The Auditor’s Office has been understaffed for many weeks now with two key employees out due to illness. The office handles the County’s finances including accounts payable, billing and payroll. The two illnesses have especially affected the payroll department. Moreover. payroll accounting for the County is much more complicated than most other employers due to differing labor laws for first responders like Sheriff’s deputies and EMS personnel.

County Judge Dan Mueller was absent on Thursday. Pct. 1 Commissioner Jason McBroom presided over the meeting as County Judge Pro Tem. When the item came up for discussion, McBroom asked the public to leave with the exception of County Auditor Cindy Havelka and her assistant Paula Vogel, along with District Judge Jeff Steinhauser, who supervises the Auditor’s Office, and Assistant County Attorney Blake Watson.

When the open meeting resumed, Havelka asked the Commissioners to approve a new full-time position in her office beginning in January.

“With the situation in the office, we will need another person in there,” Havelka said.

The new position would primarily perform payroll duties. The Auditor’s Office proposed a salary of $45,000 annually. Havelka estimated the cost of the salary plus benefits at $66,772. But the Commissioners Court has already approved the budget for next year. Havelka said the Commissioners would need to approve a budget amendment to pay for the additional position.

“So where do we get $66,000 from?” asked Pct. 4 Commissioner Drew Brossmann.

“Right now, I’m looking at possibly borrowing it from the contingency fund,” Havelka said.

The Commissioners Court established the contingency fund several years ago under former County Judge Joe Weber’s administration as an emergency reserve. Mc-Broom said the contingency fund currently stands at about $673,000.

Pct. 3 Commissioner Harvey Berckenhoff moved to authorize the new position in the Auditor’s Office. McBroom seconded the motion. The motion died by virtue of a 2-2 tie. McBroom and Berckenhoff voted in favor; Brossmann and Pct. 2 Commissioner Luke Sternadel voted against.

It was the last item on Thursday’s agenda, and the meeting appeared to be over. Steinhauser then asked the Court to reconvene in executive session for further discussion of the personnel issue in the Auditor’s Office. The Commissioners agreed, so the public once again left the room. When they returned to open session, Berckenhoff spoke in favor of the new position.

“People have to get paid every two weeks,” he said. “It’s a very important job. With the two illnesses now, we’re in a position where we’re going to have to hire a full time position for the Auditor’s Office. If we’ve got to find the money in the contingency fund, then that’s the way we need to go.”

“The thing that worries me about it is the budget,” Brossmann said. “It’s $67,000 that we don’t have. At budget time, it was super tight. There was a lot of contention. We were talking about how tight it’s going to be next year. I know times are hard and I know the situation y’all have. I just hate to take money out of the contingency fund to pay for this. We need to save it for really hard times. That’s what that money is there for - an emergency for the County. I wouldn’t say we’re in emergency mode yet.”

“This is an unforeseen circumstance,” McBroom said. “Is there any other place where the money could come from?”

“I agree with Commissioner McBroom - we need to look really hard at where this money can come from,” Sternadel said. “Right now, I don’t see it. I’m not saying it’s not there.”

Berckenhoff said the budget included $10,500 in unused salary for the Commissioners Court.

“There’s some you can use,” he said. “If you keep looking, I bet you can find some more.”

Brossmann said he would support the new position if it can be paid for with funds already in the budget.

“Reaching into reserves to pay for it - I don’t think that’s a wise decision,” Brossmann said.

Havelka said she may be able to draw funds that were allocated for communications and computer equipment.

County Clerk Brenda Fietsam offered to assist the Auditor’s Office. Fietsam said she has experience in processing payroll from a previous job. Fietsam said her staff could manage the office temporarily. Fietsam offered to assist in the Auditor’s Office during the day and then attend to her County Clerk duties in the evening.

“I’m a County servant and I’m willing to help through the end of the year,” Fietsam said.

The Commissioners ultimately decided to defer action on the new position until their meeting on Jan. 11. In the meantime, Havelka said she will search the budget for any available funds to pay for the position.