About Dawson County news. (Dawsonville, Georgia) 2015-current | View Entire Issue (May 2, 2018)
Wednesday, May 2,2018 dawsonnews.com I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I 9A 'Dawson County is blessed with a great staff of firefight ers and medics who daily answerthe call and I am look ing forward to joining their ranks as a volunteer firefighter after next week. I wish Director Danny Thompson and Chief Danny Speaks the best in their new positions and am hopeful the community will support them in the same mannerthey did me.' Lanier Swafford Outgoing fire chief FROM 1A Chief the investigation and restructuring was spurred by statements made by former Fire Marshal and Deputy Chief Tim Satterfield, who retired in December. Satterfield requested a meeting with Headley and County Attorney Lynn Frey via email Nov. 14 to discuss payout for 6,896 hours of compensatory time that he claimed he had accrued in his 12 years of working for the emer gency services department. Headley declined to pay the hours, and stated in a letter to Satterfield that banking of comp time hours “goes against any policy we have had in place since your hire in 2005, and also goes against the policy we cur rently have in place.” Satterfield claimed that it was a common practice in the department for Swafford and Ricky Rexroat, then-deputy chief of administration, to give comp time for salaried employees when they work over 120 hours, despite the fact that there is no comp time policy. He also said that firefighters had been paid extra for doing jobs around the sta tions such as welding and carpet cleaning. Headley stated in a Jan. 10 report that after he reminded all of the county department directors that there is no comp time poli cy, Rexroat continued giv ing time off and adding hours and pay to the department payroll, “which violates purchas ing, payroll and personnel policies.” Headley initiated an audit by independent auditing firm Rushton and Company, which reviewed a sample of time cards from 2017 and found that record keeping was “slop py,” that some hand entries on time cards did not match digital clock entries, as well as discrepancies between the time cards and the log book of employees on shift. “The audit also dis closed that on occasion vacation time was submit ted as regular hours worked rather than reduc ing the employee’s accu mulated vacation hours,” Headley wrote. “This is the responsibility of Ricky Rexroat.” Satterfield and other emergency services employees made further complaints about Rexroat, stating that he was unco operative, arrogant and that he was a favorite of Swafford. Rexroat resigned January 12 after he was informed by the county manager that he had vio lated several county poli cies related to perfor mance, personal conduct, unfair hiring practices and attitude and behavior. “My discussions with EMS staff, Danielle Yarbrough (human resources director) and (the county attorney) have concluded that the conduct and management style of Ricky Rexroat appears to be where the internal prob lem exists in emergency services,” Headley wrote. “That is not to suggest to the reader that Lanier Swafford does not play a part in the current dys function of his depart ment.” Headley went on to say that he believes that much of what was alleged has been going on for years and that it was a way to save taxpayer money, including the practice of paying firefighters for jobs around the stations as opposed to hiring contract workers. Current County Commission Chairman Billy Thurmond said Tuesday that when he was director, firefighters with skills such as welding or carpentry were often hired to perform work at the sta tions when not on duty in order to save money. Swafford gained the role of emergency services director and fire chief after Thurmond retired from the director position in December 2015. “This abstract system was a way of doing busi ness for so long that it cre ated an operational culture not of circumventing the system of being self-suffi cient and being good stew ards for the citizen,” Headley wrote. “As cul tures change so does that way of doing business. Today, such operations are viewed as irresponsible.” Headley stated he did not believe Swafford had intentionally made any violations and that his offer for Swafford to take a role as second in com mand would not be seen as a disciplinary measure. He also intended to demote Rexroat to a posi tion without responsibility for administration and place him under Assistant Chief Danny Speaks, as a disciplinary measure. Rexroat could not be reached for comment prior to publication. Satterfield declined to comment further on Tuesday other than saying his request for comp time was not related to Swafford’s resignation. Satterfield is currently running unopposed for District 3 County Commissioner in the pri mary election. Swafford began his career as a volunteer fire fighter with Dawson County in 1989 and became chief of emergen cy services in 2007. A cer tified EMT and paramedic, he also holds a bachelor’s degree in fire service administration. He also currently serves as deputy coroner for Dawson County. “It has been my honor and privilege to serve the citizens for over 25 years,” Swafford said Friday. “Dawson County is blessed with a great staff of firefighters and medics who daily answer the call and I am looking forward to joining their ranks as a volunteer firefighter after next week. I wish Director Danny Thompson and Chief Danny Speaks the best in their new positions and am hopeful the com munity will support them in the same manner they did me.” FROM 1A Planted In March, Gold Creek Foods came under fire after a chemical spill at the plant contaminated a nearby creek, causing the death of numerous fish and other wildlife. Gold Creek Foods did not notify authorities of the spill, which was discovered by City of Dawsonville Employees two days later. Representatives with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Environmental Protection Division are still investigating the circumstances of the spill and its impact on the creek, which runs into Shoal Creek and the Etowah River. The school playground was closed Friday, March 23 so that soil tests could be performed to determine if the chemical spill had reached the school grounds. Superintendent Damon Gibbs said the following Monday that results indicated the playground was not affected by the spill and was safe for the students to use. Gibbs said in an email Tuesday afternoon that after EPD representatives conducted their initial investigation of the chemical spill, they asked the school system to make them aware of anything out of the ordinary. “A few days later there were a few random poultry parts found on the playground,” Gibbs wrote. “We were instructed by the EPD to clean them up and report any recurrence. We were also cleared to use our play ground for student recess.” Gibbs said the incident was not reported to the police. This is not the first time the plant’s close proximity to the school has caused issues. In August of 2013, Gold Creek Foods received notice from the EPD for failing to contain water containing “blood and high biological con tent” that dripped off trucks when workers loaded and unloaded at the plant. The con taminated stormwater ran above ground onto Robinson Elementary School property and caused the school to close its outdoor classroom and gar den. Gold Creek Foods was required to install a drainage pipe that “eliminated contact between poultry by-products and stormwater” as well as a second drip pad to catch runoff from the trucks. Tanner STATE HOUSE Values We Trust Leadership that Delivers. I ran to represent you with the promise to serve with the values we trust and provide leadership that delivers. G Largest tax cut state history G Education reform G Backed the blue and supported efforts like parole reform to keep our families safe G Fought to preserve our right to practice our faith G Continued the crack down on illegal immigration G Kept our economy growing G Stood firm for our 2 nd Amendment Rights G Delivered vital infrastructure improvements KEVIN HAS DELIVERED: www.dawsonnews.com
