Star Valley Ranch administrator rescinds resignation, details fraud findings and workplace fixes

Town Administrator Aitken told the council on Aug. 11 that he had submitted a letter of resignation and later rescinded it after reflecting and hearing from community members. He said he intends to stay in the role "as long as he believed he was making a positive contribution to the town."

Aitken summarized several problems uncovered after his arrival: allegations of a hostile workplace and an HR investigation into the Public Works Department, discovery of fraudulent activity in town purchasing records (including NAPA receipts for parts purchased for vehicles the town never owned), and errors in the timekeeping system that led to employee overpayments. He said those purchases were referred for criminal prosecution, and charges were filed against the former Public Works Director. As corrective measures, Aitken described installing a time clock and implementing recommendations from a fraud risk assessment conducted with the town's accountant. He framed the town's next steps around incremental operational improvements, citing the "aggregation of marginal gains" approach and closing his report with a quote attributed to President Truman: "It's amazing what you can accomplish when you don't care who gets the credit."