Plumas Supervisors Greg Hagwood and Tom McGowan walked out of the board’s chambers just before the ongoing discussion regarding the county paying attorney fees for Treasurer Julie White.
The two supervisors’ recusal came earlier, however, on March 5th, citing conflicts of interest that prohibited them from voting on the issue, which came to a head on March 19th.
And now, for a third time before the board, the motion to pay White’s attorney fees failed despite a 2-1 vote due to the requirement of a two-thirds majority.
Interim County Counsel Josh Brechtel stated that with two supervisors recused from voting, all three present would have needed to vote yes for approval.
The dispute originated from conflicts, including a memo from the Human Resources Director suggesting a “dereliction of duties” by White. Over the past several months, White’s attorney fees have accumulated significantly, totaling nearly 100,000 dollars.
Supervisor Dwight Ceresola, the sole dissenting vote, expressed concern over escalating costs and questioned how the situation has unfolded. Supervisor Engel proposed approving White’s attorney fees, emphasizing the board’s responsibility to resolve the matter. Supervisor Kevin Goss echoed the sentiment, urging an end to the dispute.
Yet despite their yes vote, White’s attorney fees will not be covered by the county, However, it was challenged and county counsel said he would work to confirm whether the required two-thirds vote involved just the supervisors present or the entire board, including the two recused supervisors. Despite the vote, the board did direct County Counsel to work on a contract for White’s attorney to represent her in potential future issues.
