SALINE CO. – The countdown to the revealing of what a west coast auditing firm has discovered about Saline County government finances has begun, and is reported to be ready for the county board on January 19.
In the meantime, the problems that sparked the expensive audit continue to occur, and in fact, the situation is getting so messy and chaotic that now, many Saline County residents are waiting for a couple of other dates besides Jan. 19 – the March Primary (March 20), and the November 6 general elections.
Those dates have come to be of great importance because, it appears, that’s the only thing that’s going to alleviate the county’s problem with county clerk Kim Buchanan, whose obstinate behavior over the past three or so years (effectively, her entire second term, which began in 2014) has caused constant problems with the county board and the county in general. The general consensus is that the problems with Buchanan, unable to be rectified by resolution, lawsuits and threats of more lawsuits, can only be resolved by removing her from office.
Saline residents will have a choice on both March and November dates. Seeking the office of county clerk on the Republican ticket with Buchanan in the Primary is Roger Craig. Should Craig’s bid for the office fail in the Primary, Buchanan as the incumbent will face Democrat challenger Julie Dunn.
Should she prevail in both races, it’s unclear what the remedy is for the insanity that’s been brewing under the surface for the past four or so years, and the problems that brought the auditors down on the county in the first place.
Adding to the most recent issues the county board has tried to get Buchanan to help them with (which amounts to trying to get her to help them understand what kind of income her office is bringing into the county, as well as how it’s being spent) has been the issue of paychecks, which is the county clerk’s responsibility to disburse to county employees.
Having been warned of being over budget at fiscal years’ end 2017, Buchanan was exhorted by the board at the end of November to make certain, at the very least, that paychecks were disbursed in a timely manner.
If payroll falls on a holiday, Buchanan was required to get the checks to employees on a date earlier than the scheduled payroll dates of mid-month (15th) and end of month (30th).
With the holidays falling like they did in December, the end-of-month payroll was being eyed carefully by employees, to see if Buchanan, as she had done the month before, would delay checks, then blame it on “the bank” (which was the excuse that had been given previously, and which the bank on which the checks were drawn admitted that yes, there was something of a glitch that resulted in a funds issue for the payroll.)
That wasn’t exactly the case this time: The payroll checks were supposed to have been written on Friday, the 29 th of December, since the 30th fell on a Saturday when only a few bank branches were open, the 31st was a Sunday when no bank branches were open, and Monday, January 1st was a holiday and most banks weren’t open.
The checks, as it turned out, were issued on Friday the 29th, but they were dated incorrectly – the 30th. That meant that none of them could be cashed on payday Friday; only a few of them could be cashed on Saturday, and most county employees had to wait until Tuesday, Jan. 2, to cash or deposit them at all due to the post-dating on them. And for people on a budget, having to wait four days – especially at month’s end and year’s end – was extremely disruptive. And, it was against a resolution that earlier in 2017 the county board felt they were forced to pass, owing to the fact that Buchanan couldn’t seem to get payroll out in a timely manner.
But that wasn’t all.
Several individuals employed by the county highway department had insurance payments, through AFLAC, deducted incorrectly from their checks. The ramifications to this aren’t yet known; sometimes, a policy, even one under contract, can be terminated for reduced/inaccurate payments.
It’s unclear how the paycheck debacle rose to the level it has, and county employees are looking for answers.
Some are opining that a recent hire in Buchanan’s office, Jeremiah Stroud, who appears to have more hubris than sense, is the reason for the current issues.
Whether or not Stroud came with his fancy degrees with any understanding of how a county clerk’s office is run remains unknown, but Buchanan seems to think he’s the berries, and “Wonder Boy,” as he’s jokingly called by many a county official, has been made First Deputy Clerk (over people with considerably more experience) and is the “office manager” at the county clerk’s office.
Stroud has earned the nickname “Wonder Boy” because his sense of entitlement and haughty ways have been demonstrated, not in just the pink water bottle he swishes around with constantly, but because he’s recently indicated that he wants the opening prayer taken out of county board meetings.
This suggestion has been met with bristling from those not only on the county board, but also with many Saline residents, who are fond of talking to God and who are grateful that they live in a country where there still exists the freedom to express one’s religion openly, including in a governmental meeting forum if the government entity approves of it.
If nothing else, it’s a sincere formality, and it’s hurting no one. But apparently it’s offensive to Stroud, and so this is the opinion he’s mouthing about taking action on.
Interestingly, Stroud is also seeking a seat on the county board, so whether he’ll wait to see if he wins the election before proposing such action, or whether he’ll take his chances (now that it’s been revealed in a public forum – this newspaper – what his plans are, and to a vast audience of faithful voters) and try it before the election.
Of course, the clear answer to the matter does indeed lie in the ballot box (or bytes, as the case may be): Under no circumstances should an oval be darkened if it sits next to Stroud’s name on any ballot; and of course, in order to get such a person out of the county’s employ and off the taxpayer’s dime, vote out Buchanan as well.
Remember these dates: March 20 to make Buchanan a lame duck, and if that doesn’t succeed, November 6 to get her off the teat and ensure that Stroud doesn’t get into a position where he can make county policy.
This is, of course, barring any negative findings against Buchanan in the county’s audit, the results of which haven’t been made public…but Disclosure has been hearing from those on the ground that the audit went favorably Buchanan’s way…making those two dates all the more important, after January 19 is here and gone.