Housing authority approves budget
Administrative employees at the Fayette County Housing Authority didn’t get the 3.37 percent raises they were expecting when the board approved its new operating budget Thursday afternoon. They instead ended up with the same 2.75 percent raise as the authority’s unionized maintenance department, at the suggestion of board vice chairman James V. Bitonti. His on-the-spot proposal was the only change to a budget approved by a 3-2 vote.
Other proposals to alter the scheduled pay raises came from board member Beverly Beal, who suggested a standard $1,000 raise for all administrative employees, and board Chairman Kenneth L. Johnson, who said he favored a wage freeze for those civil service workers.
Seeing that his proposal lacked support, Johnson seconded Bitonti’s motion to approve the budget with the percentage change. The measure passed with the swing vote of board member Nancy Sutton. Beal and board member Angela M. Zimmerlink voted against the budget largely on grounds of its salary proposals, although Zimmerlink had other issues with the document.
Following a long executive session, the board by another 3-2 vote changed a policy that had given Johnson as chairman the right to be the sole “reviewer” of performance appraisals for employees directly supervised by Executive Director Thomas L. Harkless.
Zimmerlink brought up the issue and made that motion, alleging that Johnson had crossed the line when he met recently with finance department director Sonya Over and discussed her grievance and civil service appeal. Johnson said he did nothing wrong, meeting with Over after she requested that move and doing so in full accordance with authority policy.
Zimmerlink, Beal and Bitonti voted to make the entire board the official “reviewer” in instances such as Over’s. Johnson and Sutton voted against making the change.
In an unprecedented move, the board publicly fielded a request from Over to fill two vacant positions in her department. Over said the accounting and accounting assistant positions are necessary to comply with Harkless’ requests for financial information.
Harkless, however, said he has been dealing with some “performance issues” in the finance department, including its failure to provide critically needed financial reports. He said the department needs three people and not the 5.5 requested by Over.