Lee Commission questions Elections Board over budget padding

LEESBURG — The Lee County Board of Commissioners held a called meeting Friday with the Board of Elections over a deviation in the county’s budget. Ten days after the budget was approved, and after being instructed not to, the Elections Board amended its budget to include a merit raise for Elections Supervisor Veronica Johnson.

Commissioners asked the Elections Board Friday to justify a pay raise.

Mike Mathis, chairman of the Board of Elections said, “We’ve seen the increased duties and responsibilities put on our election director change dramatically. Based upon that, we felt like it was an appropriate time to give her a merit-based raise.”

Johnson has taken on duties previously undertaken by part-time employees and prepares the equipment for elections, saving the county $3,000 per election in outsourcing costs, Mathis said. Based on the amount of time worked, experience and funds saved over the last 12 years, Elections Board members said they felt their request was justified.

County Commissioner Rick Muggridge acknowledged Johnson for all of her hard work before explaining that every job has a range of compensation, regardless of “how great an employee is, or how well they do their job.” He said there is only so much an entity can compensate.

“I just want to point out, if you look at the compensation in that 12 years, (Johnson’s salary) has gone from $41,000 to $65,000, so that’s over a 50 percent increase during that time to recognize those additional duties the additional responsibilities and, frankly, a well-done job,” Muggridge said. “The department runs great. We don’t have any issues, and that’s a reflection of management. But in that 12 years that’s, what, about a 55 percent or so increase?”

Muggridge said that the reality is that compensation is based on what employers have to pay, which is set by the market, and Lee County is “far exceeding” the market compared to other counties of the same size. For instance, Peach County, according to Muggridge, pays its elections supervisor $43,000 in a county of a similar size with similar responsibilities.

Mathis asked if Peach County’s elections supervisor had the same amount of experience as Johnson. Muggridge said that he could not answer that question.

“You’re comparing apples and oranges,” Mathis said.

“No, I’m comparing apples and apples,” Muggridge responded. “It’s a voter supervisor and a voter supervisor.”

The issue, board members said, is not that Johnson did not deserve the raise so much as it was that the budget was changed 10 days after the budget was submitted.

“It looks like y’all were just trying to pad the budget more or less,” Commissioner Bill Williams said.

Mathis replied, “No, I don’t think we would call it padding the budget.”

Commissioner Luke Singletary asked, “Then where do the funds come from?”

“Frequently, people shift funds in the budget,” Mathis said. Singletary replied that such action is not common 10 days after a budget is approved. Mathis denied an intention of padding the budget.

Asked where the money fro the raise came from, the Elections Board said it was from the money budgeted for part-time employment. Williams asked why they needed $48,000. Board members said with the two unfilled positions that Johnson had been covering along with her duties, the funds were available to be moved.

Muggridge told Mathis that the commissioners asked the Elections Board not to give a raise at a budge meeting.

“I don’t remember you asking,” Mathis said.

Michael Sabot of the Elections Board said that he attended that meeting and told the board that Johnson was not permitted a merit raise. Sabot then said that that was why the Board of Elections decided to transfer funds within their own previously approved budget.

“So you really didn’t need (the money) in the first place,” Muggridge said.

After a heated discussion between commissioners and elections board members, it was agreed that Johnson would not receive a merit raise. As of now, Lee County pays Johnson the salary comparable to an elections supervisor in a county of more than 200,000 people.

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