JOHN COFFELTEditor

The Coffee County Commission addressed the recent resignation of former 911 Communication Center Director Scott LeDuc during its regular meeting July 9.

LeDuc tendered his immediate resignation during the county 911 Board meeting Wednesday, June 19. However, he remains in his position as financial director of the Communication Center. LeDuc complained that he was unfairly disciplined during a recent open meeting for allegedly driving his company vehicle somewhere not allowed.

Members of the Consolidated Communication Board countered those statements during the July 9 meeting, saying LeDuc had been reprimanded for overstaffing dispatcher positions in addition to allegations of chronic absenteeism.

Communication Board Member Sheriff Chad Partin said that a meeting was held with LeDuc, the board and the county human resource director to address hiring more than the 18 employees that the county had allotted for the center.

“We called him out on over hiring, and violating the inter-local act…and I explained to him if you need more employees (you have to follow the proper procedure) and come to this body and ask for those positions,” Parin said.

Partin said Leduc had been advised in the past about the practice, yet he had allegedly ignored directives from the board to not hire more than the allotted number of employees.

“I thought we had that problem resolved, then a month ago, we had (a) meeting and were notified that we were two over and that he was in the process of hiring a third (employee),” Partin said.

“What he calls a hostile environment is that he does not have a blank check to this body nor the taxpayers’ money,” he said. “If you call that a hostile environment, then so be it. He was caught. He screwed up and basically called me and Tim Stubblefield liars. And (LeDuc) knew he had got caught in a lie.”

Partin said as a disciplinary action, LeDuc was prohibited from using his county-owned vehicle.

The matter of the communication center having too many employees was brought up during a County Budget and Finance Meeting, when a budget amendment was passed to cover payroll overages.

LeDuc previously told The Times that, “since 911 is a 24/7 operation with increasing demands in call volume and staffing, we are blessed in Coffee County to employ and train the number of employees it takes to provide excellent, unfailing service to our citizens and first responders.”

 He explained that per an agreement with the county concerning staffing and budget numbers, if projected numbers are to exceed the county budget, then 911 will immediately reimburse the county for any overages that may occur.

Partin said, however, that the first time the overages occurred, unused payroll funds were moved from the Sheriff Department budget to cover the extra positions’ pay. He also said that any current overages would be covered by the 911 fund.

Addressing questions from Commissioner Tim Brown concerning LeDuc’s work attendance, Partin and Commissioner Tim Stubblefield, who sits on both the 911 Board and the Communications Board, confirmed that they suspected that absenteeism was a problem.

 “There seemed a type of jet setting issue going on up there,” Partin said, referring to trips that were made to attend industry-related conferences held across the nation.

“Since I’ve been sheriff, one of the first things that I brought up was for years the top echelon bounced around all over the country and the employees didn’t get (get to attend),” Partin said. “They are the ones that need that training. They are the ones that need that break. I think the board all agreed.”

Partin alleged that Leduc was “doubling up on national conferences and multi-tasking with other jobs that was interfering with his duties. I guess he decided that we understood that he wasn’t being present. Yes, he was absent a lot.”

Partin said it was difficult to confirm LeDuc’s attendance record without time clocks. He said, however, employees had spoken to the members of the board concerning LeDuc’s attendance and deputies working at the neighboring narcotics office had advised Partin that they had frequently not seen LeDuc’s vehicle at work.

Stubblefield said the communication board had spoken with Leduc about attendance.

“Evidently it continued, but without a time clock it’s hard to catch that,” Stubblefield said. “The discipline could have been much stricter. I think we took a softer route than we could have.”

Partin recognized 911 Deputy Director Bob Jarman for his effort integrating a new computer aided dispatch (CAD) system, and commitment to training.

 The Communication Board, made up of local law enforcement chiefs, county commissioners, and municipal aldermen, oversees the operations of the communication center.

Former County Chief of Staff Sam Harper was named interim 911 Director until a formal hire is made.

John has been with the Manchester Times since May 2011. John has won Tennessee Press Association awards for Best News Photo and placed in numerous other categories. John is a 1994 graduate of Tullahoma High School, a graduate of Motlow State Community College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middle Tennessee State University. He lives in Tullahoma, enjoys painting, dancing and exploring the outdoors.