Starke County Planning Administrator/Inspector Terry Stephenson appealed his termination from the position before the Starke County Council and Starke County Commissioners Tuesday night.
The Starke County Council members were set to discuss a job description and position, salary ordinance in the planning office, but Stephenson wanted to know why he was let go from his position.
It was alleged that Stephenson used profanity when speaking with the office staff and that he had an issue with an unregistered contractor. Some other verbal abuse in meetings and other instances were also allegations. The Planning Commission suspended Stephenson with pay on December 8 and did not reappoint him to the position on January 11 as a result of his suspension.
The job description and position entailed moving a staff member into an amended job title of building administrator/clerk with an updated salary and hiring another person as a building inspector.
The Starke County Commissioners and the council members did not act on the proposed job description and salary ordinance amendment, but the members in the joint session did hear from Stephenson after he said his side of the story was not heard and several contractors spoke on behalf of Stephenson’s character. Stephenson admitted that he did say one word of profanity in a heated discussion with staff, but witnesses to an incident with an unregistered contractor said that while the contractor’s confrontation was filled with profanity at a job site, Stephenson handled it with professionalism.
County Attorney Marty Lucas clarified that the Starke County Planning Commission had the authority to appoint him to the position, but not to terminate him from his job. The commissioners have the authority to hire or fire employees from the county.
Stephenson also alleged that several permits and fees need to be audited which will be done with the assistance of Auditor Rachel Oesterreich.
After an hour-long discussion, the commissioners denied the proposed job description and salary ordinance amendment presented. They also unanimously reinstated Stephenson to the position of building administrator/inspector. Later during the commissioner’s single session meeting, Mary Beever and Pam Starkey from the Planning Commission office questioned the commissioners on the reinstatement and alerted to letters submitted discussing the allegations. They also inquired about the allowance of the public into the meeting when the county buildings are closed to the public. Commissioner Mark Gourley stated that they were not given the letters. Beever and Starkey thought that the commissioners should have postponed a decision until all of the information was given. The meeting was then adjourned.
Since Tuesday night’s meeting, Starke County Planning Commission President Roger Chaffins resigned from the position.
