This time, commissioners are concerned with Crayton’s health. The tax chief has been sidelined by complications from a late June surgery and could be out of the office for a few more weeks, which led commissioners to name an interim replacement Thursday.
But there are other concerns. Commissioners are annoyed that Crayton, one of the few county employees who work directly for the board, has not regularly logged his work hours in recent years. The employee timesheets are used to determine whether Crayton has enough leave time to get paid while he’s out of the office.
Crayton’s job was on the line last year when the board’s Democratic majority voted to suspend him amid allegations that he handed out undue property-tax breaks to Republican Steve Arnold and others.
During that episode, Republican commissioners were Crayton’s staunchest supporters. But the timesheet issue has perturbed several commissioners, and some Republicans are no longer jumping out to defend him like they did before.
Crayton, who has been tax director since 1997, is serving a four-year term that ends June 30, 2007. Sometime before then, the commissioners will vote on his reappointment — as long as he’s still working for the county.
If commissioners decide to fire him before his reappointment comes up, as some board members have pushed for, Crayton would be entitled to a public hearing under state law.
As the commissioners wrapped up a private session last week, a pack of planners and other real-estate folk were skulking around outside the meeting room waiting to talk about the comprehensive plan. When Republican Commissioner Billy Yow stepped outside to talk on the phone, someone joked about a box of doughnuts held hostage in the closed meeting.
Live in Randolph County? Want to hear from your commissioner and House candidates? Got $15 for lunch and free time on Sept. 19? Then ring up the Asheboro-Randolph Chamber of Commerce Church at 626-2626.
This is cache, read story here