On January 14th, Sloss visited with the Supervisors and recommended they make part-time employee Julie Tallman a full-time employee at 80% of Sloss’ salary beginning in fiscal year 2017. Sloss reflected this personnel change in her submitted budget and says last week the Board directed Auditor Jerri Christman to adjust her budget to keep Tallman part-time, without any prior official notification to Sloss.

Sloss says because Tallman is a passport agent, she is barred by the federal government from working with vital records, including documents related to births, deaths and marriages. Sloss says her office is the only Federal Passport Application Acceptance Facility (FPAAC) within a 50 mile radius, but if Tallman remains part-time, she will be forced to discontinue passport services in order to eliminate the segregation of duties mandated by the federal government.

Additionally, Sloss says her office spends a lot of time working on hunting and fishing licenses for how little income they produce. Issuance of those licenses will also stop, so employees can focus on the essential and mandatory services. Sloss stated that her office brings in between $7,000-$8,000 of revenue each year from issuing passports, hunting and fishing licenses.

Sloss told the Board she does not like having to cut services, but feels it is not sustainable to continue to do everything they have always done in addition to complying with new government mandates every year.

Plus, with Tallman’s current part-time schedule, the office is occasionally unable to open until 11:30 a.m.,which Sloss says inconveniences abstractors, banks, attorneys and realtors.

Supervisor Everett Grasty said it is always a tough decision to figure out whether services are worth the investment of taxpayer dollars, or if it is better to cut them.

Board Chairman Mike Dickson said the County’s budgetary practices have changed in recent years and they don’t have the surplus to offer all of the services or give all of the raises they want to.

Supervisor Tom Rutledge said he would be in favor of making Tallman full-time, just not at 80% of Sloss’ salary.

Supervisor Clifford Carney wants Sloss to provide the services for another year and possibly make Tallman full-time in fiscal year 2018.

Sloss added she would like to see better communication between the Board of Supervisors and her office, so she is not blindsided by them adjusting her budget for her.

Sloss tells Raccoon Valley Radio she’s not sure when exactly the passport, fishing and hunting license services will stop.

You can read a letter Sloss wrote to the Supervisors below: