Jefferson County commissioners dispute treasurer's lawsuit, recount alleged payroll tax errors; EEOC complaint dismissed

Jefferson County commissioners on a July meeting day sharply disputed parts of a lawsuit filed by Treasurer Van Steenberg and summarized public-information matters including an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint that the county said has been dismissed with a right-to-sue notice.

The commissioners' remarks focused on passage in the treasurer's complaint that they said mischaracterizes county ordinances and wrongly asserts the commissioners have supervisory authority over elected officers. “The ordinance purports to confer upon the commissioners supervisory disciplinary people, over the employees of the plaintiff's office. Simply not accurate,” a commissioner said during the meeting.

Why it matters: The dispute frames competing claims about the scope of local elected officials' authority and raises questions about recent office operations and county financial controls. The treasurer's lawsuit and the EEOC dismissal could lead to further litigation or separate civil actions.

Commissioners' account of the lawsuit Commissioners identified what they described as multiple inaccuracies in the treasurer's filing, saying a handwritten amendment in the copy of an ordinance cited in the complaint is vague and not part of the final ordinance. They pointed to “section 16 20” of the county code (as cited in the meeting) and said that section assigns elected officials, including the treasurer, the right to hire, discharge and supervise their own employees. The commissioner characterized the portion of the complaint that alleges commissioners claimed that authority as “baseless.”

The meeting speaker urged the public to review video of a salary board meeting on March 25, 2025, for context and said the ordinance the commissioners enacted has been in effect for nearly a year without incident.

Allegations about payroll tax remittance During the public-information discussion, commissioners also said the treasurer delayed remitting employee withholding taxes late last year. The commissioner said the amount of withheld taxes that were not remitted was $67,954.34 and that subsequent fines, penalties and interest from the IRS rose to $1,119.78 by July. That speaker said the treasurer was given 10 days to act but took 20 days, and that some remittances were applied to the wrong pay period. The speaker described requests to the treasurer to apply proper fiscal controls as having been ignored.

The county framed those remarks as its account of events; the transcript records these claims as statements by commissioners, not as judicial findings. The treasurer's office did not speak during the portion of the meeting recorded in the transcript.

EEOC complaint Separately, the commission disclosed a complaint filed July 3 by Deshauna McAdoo, identified in the meeting as the sheriff’s department office manager, alleging discrimination and retaliation. The commission said the EEOC dismissed the complaint on July 15 and issued a right-to-sue notice; the commission described the matter as closed for now "until we hear differently or otherwise." A commissioner added that dismissal by the EEOC returns the matter to the complainant's option to pursue private litigation.

Public reaction and next steps Meeting speakers urged restraint and asked the treasurer to focus on office duties. The commissioner who spoke at length said the county's solicitor will respond to any lawsuit filings and enumerate the county's legal objections, and that local officials will await the court's handling of the case. The speaker also asked the treasurer to “devote his final months in office to the duties of treasurer” rather than litigation.

No formal action on the lawsuit or EEOC matter was recorded in the meeting minutes excerpt in the transcript; commissioners described these as public-information items and discussion.

Ending note Commissioners said they will rely on the county solicitor to respond to the treasurer's lawsuit and watch for any subsequent filings or court scheduling. The EEOC dismissal leaves the complainant with the option to file suit in court, the commission said.