The Plumas County Board of Supervisors approved a $175,000 payment to settle a controversial conflict of interest case filed by Plumas County Treasurer-Tax Collector Julie White.
Meeting in a special session Aug. 25, the clearly troubled board voted 4–1 to end the claim, which has festered for nearly two years. Supervisor Tom McGowan cast the lone no vote.
Approving the settlement now could save the county even more money in a future claim, said Supervisor Jeff Engel, who made the motion for approval. “We have to look out for the the overall good of the county.”
The payment is “a compromise amount” in exchange for releasing Plumas County from White’s claim of $265,578, said Ruben Cruz, an attorney with Renne Public Law Group, which represented the county.
“I’m not happy about this at all,” Engel said. “It’s a waste of time. It’s a waste of money. And not only that, we’re paying a lawyer, too.”
Supervisor Mimi Hall cited “unfortunate” past decisions by county officials that led the county “down this long, drawn out, damaging and expensive path… To me, this is not just about the treasurer-tax collector. This is about the way the county treats the people, who serve it as an organization, and the public,” said Hall, who was elected to the board of supervisors in January.
Board Chairman Supervisor Kevin Goss noted that he and Engel attempted in March to resolve White’s claim by paying $96,943, “a minimal cost” compared to “what we’re dealing with today.” The motion did not pass.
“That was a bummer,” said Goss, “but I’ve learned from this whole thing and what not to do going forward in regards to our employees.”
McGowan agreed that the conflict of interest claim is “a situation that needs to be corrected.” But added, “I’m still not going to vote for approving this, because I know the other four will — just to get this county back on track.”
Source: Plumas Sun
