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Fired Groveport employee won't get appeal hearing
(by Rick Palsgrove, Southeast Editor - March 10, 2010)
Fired village of Groveport employee Rebecca Hutson will receive her back vacation pay, but will not be granted an appeal hearing about her termination before the mayor or council.
Hutson's attorney, Michael Wintering, made these requests in a Feb. 26 letter to the village. The village agreed to pay Hutson her $1,552 in vacation pay. This is in addition to the $19,576 in salary she was paid while she was on administrative leave during an investigation into missing water bill payment funds.
According to disciplinary paperwork issued by the village, Hutson, who worked as a receptionist at the Groveport Municipal Building, was fired Feb. 12 for alleged misfeasance and malfeasance in connection with the misappropriation of approximately $2,017 of village funds on multiple occasions from March 30, 2009 to July 1, 2009. Village officials said $88.68 of these funds are allegedly still missing.
Hutson's attorney, Michael Wintering, maintains his client is innocent.
"She didn't take any money, not a penny," Wintering said in a February interview.
Wintering alleged the actual financial problem is the village's own "poor fiscal control and administration."
In a letter to Wintering dated March 3, attorney Cheri Hass, who represents the village, stated Hutson was not eligible for an appeal hearing regarding her termination before Mayor Lance Westcamp. Hass noted that, while the village's policy manual purports to provide village employees the opportunity to bring a grievance before the mayor and council, the village's charter denies it in this case.
According to the charter, the village administrator has the sole authority to suspend, remove, and discipline employees, except for those in the police department, the mayor's office, or council. Hass wrote that the charter overrides the policy manual and, therefore, the mayor and council lack the authority to overturn the administrator's decision.
The problems regarding Groveport's water bill collections were discovered last July when a water bill customer came to the municipal building noting his account was not fully credited.
Hutson had been on paid administrative leave since July while the Franklin County Sheriff's Department conducted the approximately seven month audit and investigation into the matter.
Village officials state they cannot disclose specific details about the investigation. Hass said the matter is now being referred to the Franklin County Prosecutor for review.
In a February interview, Hass stated, "The village has acted absolutely appropriately with the utmost caution in terms of having the investigation pursued by unrelated outside agencies. The village has done everything it could to protect the rights of the employee and the citizens."
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