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Tippecanoe County employee urges commissioners to value staff after pay-related remarks
Summary
At the Jan. 20 meeting, county employee Robert Hein publicly criticized comments he said a commissioner made about county employees and pay, quoting two remarks he termed 'atrocious' and urging the board to better appreciate staff amid ongoing pay concerns.
Robert Hein, a county employee and West Lafayette resident, used the public-comment period at the Tippecanoe County Board of Commissioners meeting on Jan. 20 to admonish commissioners for remarks he said had demeaned county staff and aggravated pay disputes.
Hein said he and other employees had raised pay-discrepancy concerns at a Dec. 9, 2025 county council meeting and described comments he attributed to a commissioner that he said were dismissive. "We also have to remember that we have a villa that's 24/7, not in the line of duty of bullets, but probably in the line of duty of bedpans," Hein said he was told the commissioner had said. Hein called that comparison "atrocious." He also recounted another statement he attributed to a commissioner at a joint meeting: "John, John, the easiest way, do you want a paycheck or not?" and said hearing such language in public meetings left employees "flabbergasted."
Hein framed his remarks as representing both himself and colleagues who had not yet spoken at public meetings. "You can delete an email, but you can't turn your hearing off," he said, explaining his decision to speak in person. He described county employees as hard-working and warned that continued perceived disrespect and unresolved compensation issues could worsen retention: "There must be a reward for the work, whether that be in monetary compensation or something else. If you want loyalty, you must give it."
No recorded response or rebuttal from a named commissioner appears in the meeting transcript; after Hein finished, the presiding official thanked him and the meeting moved on. The board took no formal action in response during the Jan. 20 session.
The comments came amid routine business at the Jan. 20 meeting that included contract approvals and a resolution formalizing overtime calculations for 2026. Hein urged commissioners to "have a better understanding of your employees and their needs" and warned that without change "you won't have very many employees left."
