PFD18 Fire Commissioner Responds To Questions

Thank you for the opportunity to answer some of your questions, and I will answer what I can for you..

1) Why did you hire a PI to investigate Shelton instead of going through the State Auditor’s office as is typically done to conduct investigations of fire departments?
***It is typical to use an investigator, not the auditors office (which investigates financial irregularities) to investigate matters involving an employee.

2) Was the PI’s fee included in the $27,041.20 voucher payment to the district’s legal counsel McMahon at the 7/7 meeting or is it seperate?
***A significant portion of the bill was for Ms. Barron, not for Ms. McMahon. I am unable to tell you specifically how much we paid for the investigation without looking at the bills individually. Ms. McMahon did not receive the sum indicated in the article written by Ms. Hansen. The document prepared by Ms. Barron is work product and therefore was billed under Ms. McMahon to preserve its confidentiality.

3) Is this expense paid for out of the current EMS levy monies paid by citizens?
***No, the funds will/have come from the General Fund. EMS money is for EMS related items only.

4) Who are the individuals that brought the charges to the commissioners to pursue?
***This information is sealed, but there were several.

5) Are your actions going to put you in the same hot seat that Shelton is in?
***This is a no win situation for the Comissioner’s and due to the liability of keeping him employed, the risk was too great. If Mr. Shelton should choose to release the documents, you would see we had no choice. We, the Commissioners, were under a legal duty to investigate and then act if we are made aware of improprieties regarding an employee. To do nothing would subject the District to further liability, which was unacceptable.

If you have any other questions, feel free to post them, and I will answer them as I can.

Commissioner Mahoney