The Athens County Commissioners approved a request to hire an attorney for a 911 dispatcher’s appeal case Tuesday.
On Aug. 4, Athens County 911 dispatcher Kimberly Hastingsreportedly violated a policy by “taking a picture of a BMV record and then texting the picture to a Sheriff’s Office Deputy with her personal cellphone,” according to a recommendation for disciplinary action provided to the commissioners by 911 Director Dan Pfeiffer.
The document recommended that Hastings be suspended for three days.
After making the disciplinary recommendations, Pfeiffer must present the recommendation to the commissioners.
Commissioner Lenny Eliason said an appeal of that decision might be made in a third-step arbitration, meaning a third party would hear the appeal.
“It’s like going to a judge,” explained Eliason.
However, Hastings chose to bypass the second step and not involve the commissioners, skipping directly to arbitration, which is allowed in her contract.
At a meeting on Sept. 17, the commissioners agreed to accept the defense fees of Jeffrey Stankunas, Hastings’ attorney.
“We just agreed to their fees, we didn’t hire him to represent us in this matter,” said Eliason before the commissioners approved the request to hire Stankunas.
Eliason could not provide an exact date for the appeal trial because the State Employment Relations Board will send out a list of possible arbitrators.
Pfeiffer also presented a memorandum of a union contract, which would allow part-time employees to work 40 hours per week with overtime. The contract currently limits part-time employees to work 32 hours a week.
The contract was originally meant to allow those employees to work up to 40 hours, but that condition is not present in the current contract.
“Anytime we approve a collective bargaining agreement, (the commissioners) approve it here before you approve it,” commissioner Charlie Adkins told Pfeiffer.
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