Educators who vote to raise their own salaries are in conflict of interest according to County Attorney Hilton Conger who pointed out school employees sitting on the budget committee cannot have their votes counted if they or their spouse will benefit.
“In those instances only when there is a pay raise or increase in benefits being considered in committee you would have a conflict in voting on any raises that would affect you,” Conger told the county commission during their regular monthly meeting. “You would be conflicted out and you could not vote on that.”
Conger pointed out that the tougher requirement comes as result of an updating of the conflict of interest policy the state has adopted. The attorney noted that the law does not extend to when the entire commission votes on a proposal that includes raises but only when the vote comes in budget committee. Presently there are two educators who serve on the budget committee, meaning if there is a question of a raise for teachers that comes before them, they would have to abstain from voting. Those on the budget committee include West Principal Sabrina Farler and Smithville Elementary Principal Anita Puckett. In the case of where a raise is being suggested by the committee, the remaining members including Dennis Slager, Jerry Adcock and Jeff Barnes are the only ones who could vote.
“Once it comes to the full commission you wouldn’t have a conflict as long as you are not voting on the school budget separately but as part of the consolidated budget,” Conger added.
Specifically, the law says that, “no member of the legislative body (county commission) of a county who is also an employee of the same county, or whose spouse is an employee of the same county may vote on matters in which such member has a conflict of interest”.
The question came up during a rules committee meeting as updated rules of procedure are being adopted by the commission. The commission voted this past week to accept those new rules as part of its ongoing re-write of the county rules manual.
For Commissioner Jerry Adcock, the whole thing was silliness as he questioned why the county is wasting its time on putting new rules together when DeKalb County has done just fine for well over a century.
“This county has operated since 1838 without any thing written down. I don’t think there has ever been a hanging or shooting at one of these meetings,” Adcock said, asking Sheriff Patrick Ray if he was right (the sheriff agreed there had been no shootings or hangings at county meetings). “I appreciate the time you (committee) have put into it but I think it’s a little frivolous to get into this.”