This article only covers the FIRST of the three topics due to the amount of information presented for each topic. We will link all three topics in the same post on social media as they are presented.
The Jasper County Board held a special meeting on Tuesday, January 27th in the County Board Meeting Room to discuss multiple incidents involving County Clerk, Amy Tarr and the January 15th regular County Board meeting. Chairman, Jason Warfel, opened the meeting and outlined the topics of discussion including:
- Neglect of Statutory Duties
- Destruction of Public Records
- Making False Statements
Chairman Warfel outlined the proceedings stating he would give an overview of each topic, provide background contents for each matter and then the board would have questions for each topic. He invited board members to add any pertinent information or relative context as needed.
Neglect of Statutory Duties
Chairman Warfel read aloud the statutory duties of the County Clerk emphasizing the portion regarding being the clerk for the County Board which includes taking the minutes for the County Board meetings. In the event the Clerk is absent, a deputy from the clerk’s office would typically fill in. The Clerk must take notes in person or by deputy.
January 15th Meeting
January 7th – Clerk Tarr notified Chairman Warfel via text message that she would not be in attendance due to a conference.
Clerk Tarr: “I will not be at the board meeting, I will be at a conference. You need to find someone else.”
Chairman Warfel replied “Thanks. Typically it would fall on a deputy clerk to fill in. If they are unable, I will get someone or ask a board member.”
On January 12th Warfel asked Tarr if she would be sending a deputy. The clerk responded stating she would attend via Zoom. No explanation was given as to why a deputy was unable to attend.
On the night of the January meeting, the clerk was overheard via Zoom stating,
“Ain’t no way in hell my girls would go to that meeting.”
Issues To Be Addressed With the Clerk
The Clerk was elected to fulfill the duties of the Clerk’s office in Jasper County. One of these duties is to take the minutes for the board meetings and in her absence a deputy takes the minutes; this is part of the duties of their office. Statutory duties outweigh a conference.
Clerk Tarr’s explanation: The clerk felt that a meeting on December 22 between department heads with mediators from the county board led to her feeling like she was bullied and her office was being told not to do what is required of them. She admits she should have been present for the meeting and that it will not happen again. She said she felt “broadsided” at the December 22nd meeting and she was being attacked and bullied and “told what not to do with my office.”
She states “we are going to work things out, amongst my office, amongst the board, amongst the group of the county as far as communication goes.”
December 22 Meeting: Several department heads had concerns with the clerk’s office. There were employees within the clerk’s office that the other departments were having issues with and Chairman Warfel facilitated that meeting having been asked by the department heads. Clerk Tarr states she was not told what the meeting was about. Warfel addresses this comment by stating he did put the meeting out as addressing concerns that the department heads had with the clerk’s office. Clerk Tarr stated, “I guess I missed that part.”
Board Member Doug Waddell asked what the reason was for not having a deputy fill in for Tarr. Clerk Tarr explains that she believes they felt like they were not being treated appropriately and she says they didn’t want to come into a hostile or unappreciated environment. “
Board member Jessica Schackmann states, “My issue is we all have a career here and regardless if feelings are hurt or not we still do our duties.”
Michael Geier spoke about the meeting when he and Schackmann were mediators. He thought the meeting was professional and cordial. There are some issues at times between department heads and the heads outlined the issues at hand. After the meeting the clerk had a meeting with her board contacts to make plans for a follow up meeting with the other heads. There was going to be a meeting with board contacts, the sheriff and the head of the ambulance. Austin Francis had the same consensus about a future meeting being held.
