Osage County emergency
preparedness director resigns

Wayne White
Managing Editor

As of Monday, Osage County is without an emergency preparedness director. Sheila Dale, who had served in that position since July 2005, submitted her resignation following two executive sessions held during Monday’s meeting of the Osage County Commission. Dale also is employed as the county’s land use coordinator and sanitarian, and will remain in those jobs.

Dale said after Monday’s meeting that she resigned due to the heavy workload of three positions.

“I was wearing three different hats,” she said.

Commissioners agreed to Dale’s resignation with the stipulation that her salary would be reduced by 75 cents per hour. Dale’s wages were $2,652 per month before her resignation.

Dale appeared at Monday’s meeting with attorney Jason Hoffman. After a 20-minute executive session, county counselor Delton Gilliland conferred with Dale and Hoffman in the courthouse hallway, after which he requested the commissioners hold another executive session with Dale and Hoffman present. Following the executive session, Dale announced she would be resigning as emergency preparedness director.

Contacted after the meeting, Osage County Commissioner William Prescott said the resignation resulted due to “personnel problems we had a couple weeks ago.” He referred to the Sept. 29 meeting when the commission met in executive session for over an hour to discuss personnel issues regarding the land use office. After that meeting, commissioners voted to reassign land use office clerk Chelsi Thompson to the county clerk’s office. At that time, commissioners stated their intent to continue discussion of personnel issues with Dale at a later date.

“We were addressing personnel issues and gave her time to meet with counsel,” Prescott said of the subsequent meeting with Dale.

Prescott agreed the workload of three county offices could be heavy.

“We may have overloaded her,” Prescott said, noting the emergency preparedness job used to be a part time position.

Dale has served as land use coordinator for 13 years and took over the emergency preparedness position three years ago after the part time employee retired.

Contacted Tuesday, Osage County Commissioner Larry Woodson said the change in Dale’s duties will now require a decision by the commissioners on how to fill the vacant position. According to Dale, state statute requires the county to have an emergency preparedness director.

“We have several options,” Woodson said. “We can go with another county and share half a person, or give it to another person [employed by] the county. It depends on where you have staff and whether you can put two positions together.”

He said that at the time Dale took over the emergency preparedness job it was considered a half-time position. Since then, Homeland Security requirements have placed additional burdens on the job, he said.

“In the long term, Homeland Security will want you to have a person (in that position),” Woodson said. “We will have to find someone to do it, whether it’s assigned to the sheriff or assigned to someone else.”

In other business, the commission:

• approved a purchase order for $5,700 for printing and mailing tax prepayment statements.

• approved a contract for inspection of 22 county bridges, to be conducted by engineering firm Cook, Flatt and Strobel at a cost of $132 per bridge.

• agreed to the employment of Rachel Hudson as a part-time bus driver for the Osage County Senior Center.

• approved a purchase order submitted by Osage County Health Department for the purchase of flu vaccine at a cost of $7,600.

• discussed fire safety violations cited by the state fire marshal, and considered a proposal from Treanor Architects to develop recommendations for code compliance. No action was taken on the company’s proposal.