Update: Budget shortfall vote means sheriff’s office employees likely won’t get paid
Las Animas County Commissioners voted Tuesday not to cover outstanding expenses, including paychecks, for the sheriff’s office. The vote means more than 30 workers, including deputies, will likely not get paid for working December 15 through December 31.
The commissioners also voted Tuesday to transfer $12,227.00 from their budget to the sheriff’s office to cover its expenses for December 1 through December 15.
County Administrator Leeann Fabec sent a memo to Sheriff’s Office employees on December 22 stating that the county would not pay for any costs incurred by the Sheriff’s Office after December 15. The memo states that the Sheriff’s Office spent $12,227 more money than it had been allotted by the Board of Commissioners, as of December 15.
Fabec went on to write that “this memorandum is to notify you and your staff that, in accordance with state statute, no further amounts for either payroll owed or bills owed by the Sheriff’s Office can or will be paid out of Las Animas County funds for fiscal years 2015.”
Fabec wrote that Sheriff Jim Casias would be “personally liable” for any debts not covered by the money that commissioners voted to transfer to the Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday.
At Tuesday’s meeting, commissioners said that employees need to address the issue with Casias and that the sheriff knew about the budget problem months ago.
Casias says the department is over budget because of overtime and vehicle maintenance expenses. “These are emergency vehicles that respond at high speeds and when they’re broke, how do we get to these people? Walk, horseback?,” he said.
Deputy Matt Moreno was at the meeting. “I still have bills I have to pay. I have to provide for my family,” Moreno said. “You could be getting off at the end of your shift and Stay 12 hours over on an Arson, a car accident, someone that needs help,” he said.
Commissioner Gary Hill says the sheriff must be held accountable. “We funded the money to pay them. But, how they get paid, that’s his responsibility. Any officer can buy popcorn and peanuts. We have no control over that,” Hill said.
Casias says he is considering legal action against the county.
The Colorado Fraternal Order of Police sent the following response to KRDO NewsChannel 13 on Wednesday:
Dear Mr. Fink,
We just watched the news report from your station in regards to the budget controversy unfolding in Las Animas County. We have been monitoring this matter for a few weeks since it was brought to our attention by our local Las Animas FOP lodge. As you are probably aware the Fraternal Order of Police is the largest and most influential representative law enforcement organization in both Colorado and our nation. In Colorado we represent several thousand members of law enforcement across the state including the deputies employed by Las Animas County. Those deputies are members of Las Animas County FOP Lodge 51. In essence we are the national and state voice of the line law enforcement officer.
General Counsel for the Colorado State FOP is proceeding with legal action on behalf of the deputies against Las Animas County and this latest lunacy from its commissioners who are clearly acting outside of both their authority and the law in refusing to pay wages for worked performed. We also fully support the Sheriff in this fight and have made one of our attorney’s that specializes in this area of law available to him to assist in potential legal action necessary on his part.
The commissioners are clearly in the wrong and in violation of state and federal wage laws. They seem to forget that slavery has been illegal in this country since 1863. Their actions have unfortunately exposed the taxpayers of Las Animas County to serious litigation and damages. Commissioner Gary Hill has been engaged in a personal vendetta for a long time against the Sheriff and has led the other two down the path into this illegal action.
The Sheriff finds himself up against badly informed politicians with evil intent. The unprofessional over officious disrespectful treatment of the Sheriff and his employees by Gary Hill and the other two commissioners who seem to think federal and state law does not apply to them is outrageous to say the least and is not going unchallenged.
The Sheriff was elected by the taxpayers of Las Animas County to provide an acceptable level of public safety services to the citizens of that county. He has acted in that capacity his entire time in office. The citizens of the county pay hard earned tax dollars for those services and we believe they would not appreciate the actions of these badly informed politicians that could result in the interruption or degradation of those much needed safety services that every citizen expects and pays for.
We can only hope for the sake of the citizens of Las Animas County and the deputies who proudly serve them daily, that the commissioners take a step back and avoid going down this dangerous path.
Sincerely,
Mike Violette
Executive Director Colorado State Lodge
Fraternal Order of Police
303-591-3842
