The Sanilac County Board of Commission held their third virtual meeting since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic Tuesday afternoon and to say the meeting was a bit spirited would be an understatement.
Tensions were high as Commissioners remotely debated a number of topics, including the issue of giving additional per hour pay to a select group of County employees.
The topic of furloughing some employees was also a hot button, leading to Commissioner Joe O’Mara leaving the meeting twice. O’Mara had presented a motion to give some county employees, namely sheriff department members, a $5 per hour pay increase.
A lengthy debate insued with O’Mara saying it was time for the County to step up and do the right thing. He said he saw no reason to not move forward with thanking those who are working on the front lines and stepped up in a time of crisis.
Commissioner Dan Dean presented an amendment to the motion to make it $2 dollars per hour, but neither idea floated with the majority of the board. It was estimated the $5 per hour increase would cost the County around $55,000 per month while the $2 increase would have cost approximately $25,000 monthly. No firm numbers on costs were presented to the board.
Had the Sheriff Department, Courts and County Staff all been included, it would have cost the County over $126,000 dollars per month. Some Commissioners said they feared if one department received the raise, all departments would expect it.
The idea was met with opposition from Commissioners Gary Heberling, Joel Wyatt and Commission Chairman Bob Conley. Wyatt said he felt employees took an Oath of Office to perform their duties and should do so without any adjustment, possibly looking at financial matters during the next round of contract talks.
Wyatt went on to say, “the job isn’t over yet. i’e never heard of thanking someone with a tip for services if you will, before the job is done. I don’t agree with the stipend and I think it’s better left tabled until the next contract negotiations.”
Wyatt also pointed out that the Sheriff Department has taken appropriate measures to minimize contact with the public during the pandemic so the risk factor is not as great and to minimize potential contracting of the coronavirus. He said Deputies are warned prior to responding to a call if there is a safety problem.
Heberling echoed Wyatt’s concerns, saying, “we don’t know what possible financial cuts are coming from the State or Federal governments. We may regret this later and I don’t see the urgency to do this right now. I want to see where our budget is a few months from now and see if we can do something. It’s not prudent to do at this time.”
After additional, lengthy comment, a roll call vote was taken on both the amended $2 per hour stipend and the motion to approve the $5 per hour pay increase, both failing on 2-3 votes with O’Mara and Dan Dean voting yes with Heberling, Wyatt and Conley voting no.
Also at the meeting the idea of possible furloughs for some Sanilac County residents was discussed, leading to further spirited discussion.
The personnel committee had met and discussed the idea for some County employees, due to the COVID-19 crisis. Details included any employee who may have been furloughed would return to their same position at the conclusion of Federal and State restrictions due to the pandemic.
The committee had also sought legal opinions on how they conducted business, including potential violations of the Open Meetings Act.
At one point of the discussion, Commissioner Joe O’Mara proclaimed he was “sick of this crap. The personnel committee is running rampant, making unilateral decisions that the entire board has not discussed” and walked out of the meeting.
Commissioners Gary Heberling and Joel Wyatt likewise spoke sharply of O’Mara’s outburst, with Heberling saying he resented O’Mara’s claims and Wyatt saying O’Mara’s comments were not true and “worse case, was slander. Further, we are not in violation of the Oepn Meetings Act. We do have a legal opinion and are operating within the guidelines.”
Wyatt and Heberling, both on the personnel committee, said the full Board has been aware of the personnel committee’s actions. O’Mara returned to the meeting several minutes later.
The motion for furloughs was tabled to gather further information and clarity.
