News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The Tennessee Comptroller’s Office found three deficiencies within the White County Sheriff’s Office as it relates to personnel policies.
The Comptroller found issues with the accrual of employee leave, the accumulation of compensatory time beyond that allowed by federal law, and failure to follow proper procedure on purchases.
White County Sheriff Steve Page said the issues have all been corrected.
“When I took office in September of 2018, there was no transition of power,” Page said via a Facebook post. “There are specific rules that our county abides by, that I was unaware of during my first few months after taking office.”
The department allowed three employees to accrue leave in September, 2018 within 14 days of their hire. County policy allows leave to be accrued only after a 90-day probation period. The sheriff failed to get the policy change approved by county commissioners.
In the second deficiency, the Comptroller found the department had allowed an administrative assistant to accrue more than 392 hours of compensatory time as of June, 2019. The Fair Labor Standards Act allows just 240 hours for civilian workers inside a law enforcement agency.
The investigation also found the purchase of badges and a uniform by the administrative assistant using personal funds. The $645.84 purchase was reimbursed. The purchase should have gone through the county purchasing agent.
The Comptroller’s Office noted in its report that the Sheriffs Department had or intended to correct all three issues.
