Commission turns down raise for VSO
The Anderson County Commission failed to approve a raise for Veterans Services Officer Scott Nation at its December meeting.
The recommendation came from the Veteran Services Committee.
County Mayor Terry Frank explained that there were issues with theraise because of the way the contract for the position was advertised.
“My concern with an over $10,000 increase within six months of hire is that no other candidate was messaged that they would be afforded this opportunity for an increase,” she said.
She said it was unlikely that the only other candidate would file a complaint, but still believed the county should be “sensitive to” that issue. “I have enormous respect for Mr. Nation as well as the Veterans Service Office itself,” Frank said.
She and Finance Director Robert Holbrook said Nation’s salary had already been increased twice, first by $2,500 after he completed training, and then by $2,000 as part of a 4% increase of all county salaries.
But Frank said this increase, which she called the third, was “too much, too soon” compared to what the county advertised for the position.
Holbrook also said he would first like to find a source for new raise without causing a shortage at the end of the fiscal year.
He said he would prefer that the Budget Committee handle the issue first before the commission considers it.
“I’m not comfortable increasing someone’s [pay] when [the county doesn’t] have the money in place,” he said.
Commissioner Robert McKamey made the motion to approve the raise, and Commissioner Steven Verran seconded.
The two of them, along with commissioners Shain Vowell, Tim Isbel, Tracy Wandell, Sabra Beauchamp, Tyler Mayes and Joshua Anderson voted for the raise.
However, votes against the raise from Ebony Capshaw, Phil Yager, Shelly Vandagriff, Michael Foster, Robert Smallridge, Denise Palmer, Jerry White and Anthony Allen created an 8-8 tie, making it fail. Mayes, however, said it will come back to the Budget Committee.
Wandell complimented Nation on his work, calling the raise a “small contribution” to thank him.
“A lot of things are opening up for the county thanks to Mr. Nation,” he said. “I can’t be more proud of who he is and what he’s doing for our veterans.” He also said there was a legal case to be made for the raise having already passed as part of a consent agenda.
“It’s not just Mr. Nation sitting back there; it’s our 7,000-plus veterans in Anderson County,” he said. “When we can’t recognize a man that’s taking care of our veterans, their spouses, their families, and bringing in the money to this county that’s a direct bottom line coming in, man, it makes me scratch my head and wonder ‘Is it only cool to like veterans on Veterans Day?’”
