Another KID Manager Resigns
KENNEWICK -- Ratepayers are talking about allegations that Kennewick Irrigation District workers were using district equipment at home. That's equipment you pay for. Ratepayers are certainly upset. And now a second person has resigned over the issue.
It's not a gray area, the rules are spelled out right there on the rigs.
It says "for official use only" but an internal investigation at KID shows that rule has been ignored.
"Vehicles were taken on personal errands and things like power tools taken home," said Charles Freeman, KID District Manager.
Those are items paid for with your money. This means extra use could wear equipment down faster, then you'll have to pay for a new one. It's not just unethical; it's illegal.
We wanted to know if staffers knew this was wrong or they thought they
would get away with it.
"A little bit of both. Staff understood it's not right but not that it's against state law. And they didn't understand what being a public employee means," said Freeman.
"It's probably not something they should do. That should be taken seriously, " said ratepayer Becky Johnson.
"They've had trouble and trouble and now more trouble. It's frustrating because we pay for a service and this means they're not managing their funds right," said ratepayer Sue Williams.
Williams says she's disappointed but also optimistic this swift action by the new district manager means things are changing at KID.
"It was real interesting to me that we got someone from outside the area to come in and make changes. And I appreciate what's being done to fix this," said Williams.
KID District Manager Freeman has only been on the job for a few months. Two months into the job, union employees came to him with concerns about staff taking equipment home. The next day he launched an investigation.
Both the operations manager and an operations supervisor resigned. More employees are also facing disciplinary action for using district supplies on their own time.
Action News did try getting in touch with Harry Fox, he's the operations manager who resigned. His home number has been disconnected.
Action News also talked to the union representative of Local 260, he says he doesn't want to comment right now.
Also, Action News has confirmed that there is an allegation of someone
driving drunk in a district car. The man in question is the same operations supervisor who resigned Thursday.
It's not a gray area, the rules are spelled out right there on the rigs.
It says "for official use only" but an internal investigation at KID shows that rule has been ignored.
"Vehicles were taken on personal errands and things like power tools taken home," said Charles Freeman, KID District Manager.
Those are items paid for with your money. This means extra use could wear equipment down faster, then you'll have to pay for a new one. It's not just unethical; it's illegal.
We wanted to know if staffers knew this was wrong or they thought they
would get away with it.
"A little bit of both. Staff understood it's not right but not that it's against state law. And they didn't understand what being a public employee means," said Freeman.
"It's probably not something they should do. That should be taken seriously, " said ratepayer Becky Johnson.
"They've had trouble and trouble and now more trouble. It's frustrating because we pay for a service and this means they're not managing their funds right," said ratepayer Sue Williams.
Williams says she's disappointed but also optimistic this swift action by the new district manager means things are changing at KID.
"It was real interesting to me that we got someone from outside the area to come in and make changes. And I appreciate what's being done to fix this," said Williams.
KID District Manager Freeman has only been on the job for a few months. Two months into the job, union employees came to him with concerns about staff taking equipment home. The next day he launched an investigation.
Both the operations manager and an operations supervisor resigned. More employees are also facing disciplinary action for using district supplies on their own time.
Action News did try getting in touch with Harry Fox, he's the operations manager who resigned. His home number has been disconnected.
Action News also talked to the union representative of Local 260, he says he doesn't want to comment right now.
Also, Action News has confirmed that there is an allegation of someone
driving drunk in a district car. The man in question is the same operations supervisor who resigned Thursday.
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