Treasurer asks for one full-time deputy and seasonal help; council approves after debate over cuts and voting conflicts

Treasurer Jamie Durham told the Fayette County Council on July 7 that he had consulted the State Board of Accounts and needed additional staff to protect internal controls and reduce liability, saying he reduced a previous part-time line to a five-month seasonal position and was requesting one full-time deputy plus one seasonal part-timer.

"I have complied to that. I've taken the part time from being all year and a 10,000 budget. I reduced it to 5 months, and that's gonna be seasonal," Durham said, explaining the proposed change as part of meeting the council's request for budget reductions.

Council members pressed Durham for details after a member pointed out last year's part-time line was $10,000 and this year's submission showed $8,500, producing confusion about whether the overall budget request actually represented a 15% cut. Staff corrections followed and members reviewed line-item increases such as overtime, postage and service contracts.

Separately, members discussed whether a council member whose spouse works in the treasurer's office should vote on the department budget. The county attorney advised that while there may be no statute that explicitly requires recusal, "it is my strong advice to my client that... she should not do it" in order to avoid the appearance of a conflict.

After debate, a motion to approve one full-time deputy and one seasonal part-time position for the treasurer's office was made, seconded and carried by roll call. Some members who said they would avoid personal votes nonetheless supported the office's staffing need.

The council asked the treasurer to provide corrected budget numbers and suggested staff follow up with the finance committee; Durham said he would return corrected figures and work with the auditor to identify further savings such as changing receipt paper to a less expensive option.