Plymouth County's controversial decision to hire a new administrator is generating additional expenses, with commissioners approving severance payments for two displaced employees and considering a $12,000 investigation into a hostile work environment complaint filed by one of those employees before she was terminated.
At their September meeting, commissioners approved severance paperwork for Christopher Heffernan and Theresa Vernazzaro, whose positions were eliminated to accommodate the hiring of County Administrator Troy Clarkson. Vernazzaro had filed the workplace complaint before commissioners voted to eliminate her position.
The developments come as county officials face mounting legal expenses over Clarkson's hiring. As previously reported by South Shore Times , the Plymouth County Advisory Board voted to redirect $211,500 in existing funding toward legal services and potential settlements, while Treasurer Thomas O'Brien filed a lawsuit challenging Clarkson's employment agreement.
That $211,500 represents funding set aside for potential expenses, not legal bills already incurred. The total cost of the county's legal disputes and personnel changes remains undetermined.
The commissioners considered hiring outside legal counsel to investigate the hostile work environment complaint Vernazzaro filed before her termination.
County Attorney Shannon Resnick said she contacted an outside firm after learning that the county's human resources employee had not completed the training needed to conduct such an investigation.
The firm proposed spending approximately 30 to 35 hours on the investigation at an hourly rate of about $325, producing an estimated cost of $10,000 to $12,000. Resnick cautioned that the final cost could be higher.
She told commissioners that the county had a legal obligation to investigate the complaint, even though Vernazzaro was no longer employed by the county.
"You are required to investigate," Resnick said.
Commissioner Jared Valanzola argued that an outside investigation was necessary to avoid the appearance that county officials could influence an employee investigating their own conduct.
"I think it would be inappropriate to have one of our employees investigating us," he said.
He moved to hire Clifford and Kenny to conduct the investigation, but his motion received no second.
Commissioner Greg Hanley instead proposed postponing the decision so the county could obtain additional proposals and determine whether another qualified investigator could perform the work at a lower cost.
"I think we should look into it and get a better understanding and rate, to be honest with you," Hanley said.
Valanzola pushed back, arguing that the county should not delay an investigation over the proposed expense.
"I think $12,000 is pretty short money to ensure the reputation of the county is preserved given the nature of the complaint," he said.
Resnick advised commissioners that although there was no specific statutory deadline requiring completion within a certain number of days, the county should proceed promptly. She explained that delays could affect witnesses' memories and prevent the county from addressing potentially ongoing workplace problems.
Hanley's motion to postpone the decision passed 2-1, with Commissioner Sandra Wright joining him and Valanzola voting against it. Commissioners agreed to keep the investigation on future meeting agendas until an outside firm is selected.
The specific allegations in Vernazzaro's complaint were not disclosed during the public meeting. Although the complaint preceded her termination, the county has not publicly established whether the two events are connected.
Clarkson's hiring in August substantially changed the county's staffing plan.
The county advertised the administrator position at $100,000 to $124,000 but ultimately agreed to pay Clarkson $185,000 annually, with total compensation exceeding $215,000.
To accommodate the higher salary within the existing budget, Wright and Hanley voted to eliminate the assistant county administrator position held by Vernazzaro and the administrator-in-training position held by Heffernan.
At the Sept. 9 meeting, commissioners considered personnel forms authorizing severance payments for both employees pursuant to an Aug. 12 vote.
Valanzola, who opposed eliminating the positions, initially declined to support the severance paperwork as part of a larger personnel vote.
"I believe that Mr. Heffernan and Ms. Vernazaro were improperly terminated," Valanzola said. "I voted against terminating them."
He clarified that he supported paying the employees but would abstain from voting on their individual personnel forms because he believed their terminations were improper.
Hanley questioned why the commissioners were revisiting payments they had already approved.
"We voted on August 12th to affirm severance pay for two employees that served the county," Hanley said.
The commissioners ultimately separated the severance payments from the remaining personnel actions. Wright and Hanley voted to approve them, while Valanzola abstained.
The amounts of the individual severance payments were not disclosed during the meeting.
The potential investigation expense comes on top of legal costs already associated with Clarkson's hiring, the defense of O'Brien's lawsuit, and separate legal representation for the Advisory Board.